Saiyan Princess Super: Untold Saga
by lilDBZbuddy89
Summary: Focussing on the ten year gap between Buu and Uub, which was historically seen as a decade of calm and prosperous times. Now compelling evidence shows that this decade was not as peaceful as it seemed... and once again Earth's heroes find themselves defending their turf! Saiyan Princess verse. Follows BoG, FnF and DB Super
1. 01 - Fulfilling a Promise

**AN:** This saga is set between chapters 109 and 110 of Saiyan princess and brings into account the events of the more recent DBZ movies (Battle of Gods, Resurrection of F) as well as Dragonball Super. I have also made a cameo appearance of Tights Brief (who appeared in Toriyama's Jaco the Galactic Patrol Man) in this chapter. Thanks to Silverhawk88 for pointing out her existence to me!

I would like to point out that I have made a couple of updates to the chapters originally uploaded here, to fit in with the storyline of Dragonball Super.

Let the story begin!

-LilDBZBuddy89

* * *

 _The decade that spanned the pivotal points of Majin Buu's defeat and Uub's debut was one that, for many people, was seen to be a decade of peaceful times._

 _The population of Earth had been under the siege of Babidi and his monster for little under a week and yet it'd made such a lasting impact on their sense of judgement. None of them knew the identity of the monster after strings were pulled and a certain wish-granting dragon was asked to erase their memories of Buu. Yet they were aware that something had brought humans to the brink of extinction and that Mr Satan had saved them somewhere far, far away._

 _So the decade that followed, in comparison, was one that was peaceful… relatively peaceful._

 _Except for the times when it wasn't._

 **Chapter 01 – Fulfilling a Promise**

 _Age 774, August: A few months after the defeat of Majin Buu…_

As far as she was aware, everyone had finished packing, for once. Usually Trunks found he'd forgotten something the morning they were leaving, like his favourite toy or his toothbrush, or an item of clothing their mother insisted he wore even though he hated it. Perhaps it was too soon to say everyone had finished packing.

Corset checked her suitcase and hand luggage over one more time, ticking off her check-list for the third time running; it was never a bad thing to be thorough. After all, on the second run, she'd realised she hadn't added her second bathing suit to the list (the one-piece suit, just in case she managed to burn in her bikini or felt too uncomfortable to bear so much skin – she wasn't built like her mother had been at her age!). Everything seemed to be there, she concluded. _'Good.'_ Satisfied she was unlikely to have forgotten anything important, she closed the case lid and zipped up her hand luggage. With minimal effort, she swung her suitcases over her shoulders and headed for the aircraft their mother was planning to fly them in.

She didn't get very far before she came across her little brother. Disturbingly he seemed incredibly excited… or agitated. It was hard to tell sometimes.

"Sis! Sis! Oh my gosh, you'll never guess what Mama just told me!" He hollered, closing in on her in a flash, bouncing off the walls. "This is gonna be such an awesome break! Dad's coming!"

The crash of suitcases striking the floor was loud enough to alert their grandmother, who poked her head around the corner, tray of drinks in hand. "Is everything alright? What happened?"

Corset was too stunned to speak, her eyes couldn't have been any wider if they'd tried. So instead, it was Trunks who answered their grandmother. "Dad's coming on vacation with us! This is already the best holiday ever!"

It seemed their grandmother didn't quite know how to respond to this immediately, but unlike her granddaughter she did not drop the items in her hand! "… That's wonderful news!" She finally smiled, voice high and wobbily. Approaching her elder grandchild, she added in a quiet tone, "What's brought this on? Your father never seems to want to be separated from his training."

Corset dumbly shrugged her shoulders, still trying to take the news in. She was just as clueless as her grandmother. Intrigued, she left the two and continued down the corridor, forgetting to take her now-broken cases back to her room to repack. Clothes could wait, answers couldn't. So she located her mother's life force and followed it down the stairs into the laboratories. Wandering through the vast expanses of corridors and hallways was simple, having quickly learnt the building's layout during her youth. Within minutes she had found her target, funnily enough in one of the larger hangers underneath the grounds of their home, tinkering away at what Corset assumed was their transport tomorrow. "Mama, is it true Dad's coming with us?"

Bulma leant back out of the side-door of the craft, a smile playing across her beautiful features. "So you heard? That boy…" She pitifully shook her head, though the smile widened. "He was bouncing off the walls when I told him."

' _Just what I thought,'_ Corset noted to herself, feeling another wave of shock hit her. What was the deal? Why had he decided to suddenly show some interest in their family holidays? Had recent events played out a few months back had that much of an influence on him? Was this one of his ways to try and reconcile his actions with his family? Or maybe she was overthinking this. Was there something going on between her parents; had their mother threatened to take something valuable away if he didn't join them?

"So, what do you think?" Bulma cut through her thoughts.

"It seems alright," Corset glanced the plane over.

"No," Bulma shook her head, "Not that, about your father joining us. Will you be alright with that?"

Corset raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Why would I not be alright with that?"

"Well, it's not like he's ever come away with us before…" Bulma stepped free from the aircraft and closed the door. "You've never had a break away with him with us before, you've grown up having holidays with me and your grandparents and then Trunks."

"It's fine, it's not like it's gonna make any difference to our vacation," Corset shrugged her shoulders, not getting what her mother was trying to suggest.

* * *

They had left early. Very early. Too early for anyone's liking. Trunks had protested so much, Bulma had rolled out a futon and told him to sleep through the journey instead. Corset was less vocal during the mornings, especially during mornings where she rose earlier than the sun. She sat quietly alongside her mother in the co-pilot's seat, wrapping a sheet around her to keep the cold from her bones, occasionally sipping on some tea to keep her warm. Their craft was large, large enough to comfortably store all their luggage and then leave plenty of space for Trunks' futon. On the downside, it was slow. Very slow.

"We could have gotten up later and just got one of us to carry you there…" She mumbled sleepily.

"Enough," Bulma snapped. "This way it feels more like a special occasion! Anyway, we're nearly there. Wake up your brother."

Corset sighed and rolled lazily from her chair. "Oi, Trunks. Wake up." Nothing. She crawled over towards him and poked him on the foot. Trunks jolted and sprung up.

"Wha… Sis!" He snapped indignantly. "Don't do that!"

"We're nearly here," Corset ignored his complaints.

Trunks glared out the window and sighed exasperated. "Aww, we're still in the air? Mama, if you could fly like us, it would only take us a minute to get there."

"Oh hush!" Bulma grumbled. "My body isn't made like yours."

"Is Dad still on top of the ship?" Trunks asked.

"Yep," Corset nodded. What exactly he was doing up there was a mystery to her. He'd always gotten the gist of what you were supposed to do when it came to air transportation so why he'd decided the seats were literally below him was a mystery to her.

"Saiyans are weird," Bulma muttered.

Corset returned back to her seat, stifling a yawn, missing her father muttering something to them from the other side of the glass encasing the front of the craft. So she had no warning what-so-ever when Bulma suddenly decided to turn the plane sharply to the right! Corset hollered, snatching hold of the arm of the seat for dear life, her legs flying in front of her face in her split-second panic. Then instinct overtook and corrected her movement. Flabbergasted, she turned about to snap at her mother when Bulma lurched the plane once more, this time into a nosedive. Bulma flicked a switch, something in the craft began to groan and shift.

A wave of worry came over Corset. "Mama, what are you-?"

The sheet of darker blue was in their vision for mere seconds before the entire plane shuddered violently as it collided with the sea. Corset felt her stomach be thrown around her abdomen as Bulma went into a spin once more, launching their plane back towards the surface and straight towards their island destination.

"What the hell was that about?" Corset hollered once Bulma had levelled out and calmed their flight pattern. "A little warning would have been nice!"

"I'm dizzy!" Trunks wailed.

* * *

The hotel resort was gigantic, packed with families enjoying the vast array of activities the resort had to offer. Checking into their room was smooth. Their suite rooms weren't as large as the ones back home but Corset figured that was to be expected. They were the richest family on the planet; nothing would compare to what they had at home, apart from the service. Of course, Bulma had gotten the very best the resort had to offer.

It didn't take long before Bulma rounded up the rest of the family and suggested they get to know the resort lay-out. This meant heading down to the main hall, checking where the dining hall was, then looking through every shop on site. The group took a little more time in one of the clothes stores on the complex; Trunks came across a large collection of flowery holiday shirts and quickly demanded he be bought one.

Corset wandered off on her own, leaving the other two adults to fuss over her kid-brother. Quickly she found the young fashion section and began browsing. It was then her watch began to vibrate: an incoming call. Flicking one of the tiny switches on the device, her eyebrows raised when she saw who was on the other end. Opening the connection, she spoke out: "Hi Gohan; I didn't know you were connected."

"Hey there," Gohan's voice came out from the watch. "Your mother updated the applications of my 'watch'." (Gohan'd learnt to refer to said device as his watch, as opposed to his Saiyaman watch.) "Where are you? It sounds really busy."

"I'm away with the family," Corset explained, walking towards one of the corners of the shop. "I'm surprised you're still awake. Isn't it near midnight where you are?"

"Um…" An awkward colour crossed his cheeks. "… Yeah, I guess it is here." His eyes kept on flicking over to the right as if he were expecting something. "I won't keep you waiting too long. I just wanted to pass some news onto you."

"Oh yeah? What kind of news?" Corset asked.

Gohan seemed to turn pinker. "Well… You know that Videl and I have been spending more time together? I, uh…. I asked her today."

She didn't need him to clarify what he meant like this but it was unbelievably fun watching him squirm like this. "Asked her what?" She decided to play dumb, a big smirk settling on her face.

"Y-You know… I think," Gohan mumbled.

Corset giggled. "Yeah, I'm just messing with you. So I'm assuming she said yes?"

Gohan's voice seemed to have vanished so she received a simple nod, eyes looking anywhere but directly down the watch screen but a tiny smile trying to break free.

"Aww congratulations," Corset beamed. "I'm really happy for you guys, you're really cute together. Does your mother know you're now officially going out together? Maybe she can now stop trying to force us together?"

"If I tell her now, I'll never hear the end of it," Gohan whispered, "Why do you think I'm still awake!"

The conversation didn't last much longer, Corset bid her childhood friend a pleasant night's sleep and continued to browse. Then again, she'd lost interest in clothes shopping, so she made her way back to where she'd left the others, using her brother's life force to double-check they were indeed still there. Her parents were stood outside the changing rooms, she could only assume Trunks was trying something on.

"Oh, back already?" Bulma greeted her, though her smile quickly dropped. "What is it?"

"Um… nothing?" Corset warily responded. "Why?"

"You're pale," Bulma frowned, putting a hand to her daughter's forehead. "… and you're clammy! Oh my gosh, are you finally getting ill?"

"I'm fine, really," Corset brushed her mother's hand away, taking a step back as she did so. Was she really that pale? What could have brought that on, she wondered. Then again now she thought about it, her chest did feel a little tight.

"What's with the defensiveness? You sound like a teenager!" Bulma grumbled.

"I am a teenager," Corset growled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her father studying her. It irritated her. "Oh my gosh, will you stop it – both of you!" With that, she stormed off, not really sure where she was heading but knowing she had to get away from them and find some space. She left the shop, wandered out into the courtyard and followed the path towards the beach. Her walk took her down the promenade, along the beach and up towards one of the beach cafés. It was there she ordered a cocktail and found a small table to watch the sea roll in.

What the hell had that been about? Corset felt as if she was about to cry. Her chest still felt tight, her breathing quicker than normal. It made her feel restless, like she had to keep on moving, keep on doing things. That in itself made her uneasy, so she decided to do the opposite and sit still, watching those down on the beach and in the sea beyond. Why did she feel so sad?

* * *

Getting back to the hotel complex proved trickier than she'd anticipated. Her journey had been delayed somewhat due to the combined efforts of the head of the middle of the day along with the alcohol she'd consumed. She'd had to stop at one of the shops en-route to stock up on food and water, shamelessly stuffing her face and gulping down entire bottles in one sitting. Then the rest of the journey was impeded by the water-food-combo-baby she'd created in her stomach in her bid to sober up… and it hadn't quite worked the way she'd hoped. So when she had finally gotten back, she was still a little tipsy. She couldn't go back to their room like this; her mother would never let it go. So she sat down at one of the tables at the hotel bar overlooking the pool and sea beyond.

Before she knew it, the crowds were thinning, heading in to the dining room to get their all-inclusive dinner. A few lingered, including a small group of tweens and a few couples. The pool looked oddly inviting but she knew better. She'd be far too tempted to jump in and then power up just to make the water float and scare everyone else off so she could have the pool to herself. When asked by one of the staff if she'd like a drink, she decided to go ahead an order several cups of milk, purely because she was craving milk and despite her stomach telling her that another drink would probably make her stomach burst. And so the milk grew warmer and warmer as the sun set.

It was only when a shadow passed over her that she realised she'd dozed off. Corset rose her head off the table and sighed. "What?"

Annoyingly her father didn't say anything. But he did sit down beside her, which caught Corset off-guard. She had to ask. "Why are you being so… so…" What was the right word for this? Caring? Yeah right, she'd never live to see another day if she accused him of that. Nosey? Well, he was being that, but again if she accused him of that… So she settled for not finishing her question, resting her arms across the table before her and slouching forward. "… Why are you here?"

"The same reason you are," Her father responded.

"Oh yeah? And what reason would that be?"

"Because your mother's driving me nuts."

Corset snorted. Fair enough, that had been funny and annoyingly it'd made her smile.

"… Kakarrot's energy has disappeared from Earth," Vegeta mumbled after a while.

Corset looked up, then sat up when she realised he was right.

"No doubt he's training somewhere…" Her father added, crossing his arms.

Corset nodded. "… I'm surprised you're spending time here rather than doing the same thing. What made you choose spending time with us?"

Vegeta glanced away for a moment, then turned back to look in her general direction. "I made Trunks a promise. I'm done now."

"Oh…" Corset sighed and grabbed onto one of the many glasses of milk, taking a large gulp and downing one of them, flinching when it became hard to swallow. "… Well, lucky Trunks. Seems like everyone's doing stuff before me…" Another sigh left her lips and she slouched further onto the table, resting her chin on her arms. Trunks got a holiday with their father and he was eight; her first holiday with him was spent being eighteen – a whole ten years later than her brother. Being the eldest sucked sometimes. Then again apparently being her sucked. _'The more naïve people around me are doing more grown-up stuff before me…'_ So was that the reason why she felt sad?

In regards to matters involving the opposite sex, Corset had considered herself far more knowledgeable and superior in skill to Gohan… and yet which of the two of them was now dating someone? Not her!

He was such a naïve idiot on the outside.

What did that make her?

Lonely. She was going to die alone.

She downed another one of the glasses. Reaching for a third, her target was snatched away by her father, who took a swig and returned the empty glass to the table. She missed the look of displeasure that crossed his face. "That was my drink."

"You've had plenty already," Vegeta sneered. "You reek of it, that foul poison the people on this planet seems addicted to drinking."

Corset mumbled under her breath. Damn that dog-like nose; he was the one she'd inherited that from! At least this was one thing she was certain she had more experience than Gohan. _'Yeah, drinking more sounds like something to be proud of.'_ She sat back and sighed. "… Why are they always so annoyingly ahead of us? No offence to Chichi but the guys aren't exactly the brightest bunch when it comes to every-day human interaction!"

There was a large portion of silence between them after this. Corset almost dozed off again until she was stirred awake by the sound of chair legs scraping against the floor. Her father had stood up, looking mysteriously into the distance, almost as if he were about to impart some sagely wisdom upon her.

"I've wasted enough time…" He glanced over his shoulder. "Let your mother know." And with that, he took off, launching himself into the skies and over the sea, leaving his baffled tipsy daughter on her own.

She didn't stay much longer on the island. The afternoon's events had taken her to a more solemn place, one which told her she needed her regular routine back. So she dropped in on her mother and Trunks, apologised profusely and informed them she was going back home to train with their father. Trunks had protested but Corset insisted the break away would be much better for him. Her mother didn't ask, just merely nodded and accepted her daughter's choice.

Corset returned home late that night. Instead of heading to bed, she made her way down towards the gravity room. Unsurprisingly her father was here. He didn't seem surprised to see her here.

Training lasted until she passed out in the early hours of the morning. Then, next morning, she continued to train. She had a couple more weeks of summer break before she had to return to high school; she may as well make the most of her time alone before she was forced to socialise with the two people she considered her best friends.

It would never be the same. Not now they were a couple. She was the third wheel, the spare part. She was the odd one out. Whenever they'd have work to do in pairs, she'd be the one to have to step back and find someone else to work with. She couldn't spend as much time with them now, the two people she really genuinely liked at high school. That thought was terrifying. Being alone, being left on her own and abandoned by them, terrified her more than anything. And so she trained to keep her thoughts from reminding her of this fact. She trained to stop life dumping cold water on her, awakening her to the terrifying possibility that she may never find someone to share the rest of her life with.

Why did this bother her? Why now? It'd never crossed her mind before, so why now did she suddenly care?

Had she known that two years later, she'd meet the unlikely man unfortunate enough to fall in love with her, she wouldn't have paid so much heed and dread to the thought.


	2. 02 - Birthday

**Chapter 02 – Birthday**

 _Age 778, August 18_ _th_

The banners were all now in place, the food was nearly all prepared and laid out, the aesthetics of the chosen area within the Capsule Corp complex was in full bloom; the fruit-bearing trees slowly dropped their produce littering the grounds below, the fresh feel of a summer breeze sweeping across the complex. All they needed now were the guests and the hostess: the birthday girl.

"D'you feel like we may have overdone it with the decorations out here?" Corset asked, arching one brow and cocking her head to the side, still not feeling satisfied with her morning's work. It definitely beat being rigorously worked in her recently acquired role as Capsule Corp Vice President. How she'd ever managed to pass her mother's test in becoming her successor, she'd never know! Work still felt as if it was in control of her life, not as if Corset was in control of it! Not getting to see her boyfriend so often anymore was also beginning to put a strain on them both and on their relationship. Getting to see him today after what had been two weeks of solid work to meet deadlines would be a welcomed change to the lifestyle she felt she was being forced to adopt. If only there was a way she could step back without her mother feeling disappointed...

"Looks fine to me," Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "You know what Mama's like; she likes to go over the top!"

"Funny how she didn't want any mention of how old she is today," Corset muttered under her breath before turning on the spot and walking over towards one of the heavily laden tables set out for the large number of friends due to arrive today. "Food looks good. Hope we've got enough for everyone."

"We've got enough and then enough more to feed all of West City!" The sound of their mother's voice made both offspring jump and turn; the birthday girl strolled down from the main entrance of the complex out into the large garden, breathing in the scent of the flowers as she passed. "The weather is wonderful today! Now, you two have to remember to be on your best manners with our guests."

"We're almost twenty-three and thirteen; we both know this," Corset butted in with a roll of her eyes.

Bulma ignored her daughter and continued. "Remember I need you to both take part and encourage others in the games I have in mind. This is gonna be so much fun! I'll bet once certain people hear I'll be holding a 'tournament' of sorts, they'll be begging to attend this party! No training excuses this year!"

The two siblings exchanged glances with one another, both knowing that 'tournament' was not the word they'd use to describe bingo, but they knew why their mother had referred to it as such.

"Is Auntie Tights coming?" Corset asked, unsure of why she'd suddenly remembered to ask.

"No, she's at a book signing event this morning and is then doing an interview on her latest sci-fi novel," Bulma replied. "She sends her love."

 _'As normal then,'_ Corset rolled her eyes.

"Who's Auntie Tights?" Trunks asked.

"The one who scared you when you were a baby with her stories about the spacevirus that eats naughty kids up from the inside," Corset snorted wryly.

Quickly the two found themselves being ushered back up to their rooms to get dressed into their formal clothes; in their mother's humble opinion, they both seemed to have gotten dressed in the dark this morning!

"Don't go pulling your hair out, it's just a sign that Mama's been left behind as far as fashion goes," Trunks muttered to his sister on the way up to their rooms. "I hope our outfits aren't too bad! I don't wanna look like a dork!"

Leaving company and entering their rooms, both siblings changed into whatever their mother had left out for them (Corset promptly cringing as soon as she'd spotted the slender, long dress her mother had left for her!) Both soon returned downstairs just in time for the first guests to begin arriving. Corset and Trunks both exchanged glances as they took note of what their guests were wearing. The first group: the Kame House family consisting of Master Roshi, Krillin, Eighteen, and their daughter Marron, all wore casual clothes. Krillin seemed bizarrely formal in his sur-coat and smart shoes, though the rest seemed to have donned a more casual approach. Both siblings drew out a long sigh of resentment and humiliation; apparently either everyone had misunderstood the dress code or their mother had duped them into overdressing!

"Like I'm gonna stay stuck in this flimsy suit!" Trunks snorted, stomping back upstairs to find something more comfortable to wear. Corset was tempted to join him but instead strode the rest of the way down the stairs and greeted the arrivals.

"That's one heck of a dress you're wearing!" Krillin exclaimed in surprise. "You've really grown into a woman now, haven't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Corset raised an eyebrow, not refusing the compliment altogether but not liking the tone he was using.

"Well... You were all shorts and jeans the last I saw of you!" Krillin replied, sensing a little animosity coming from the demi-Saiyan. "You just look more feminine now."

"I'd leave it at that, dear," Eighteen interrupted before turning to the dark-haired young woman. "So, what's this about a tournament?"

"…Mama will fill you in on that," Corset smiled, not wanting to let any information slip in case it earned her a sore ear!

* * *

The party officially started about twenty minutes after the first guests arrived. Unfortunately, the lure of a 'tournament' had not been enough to encourage two particular Saiyans to join their families and so a disgruntled Bulma was forced to reveal the details of her tournament... or rather, her bingo tournament! This naturally caught the interests of a few guests, though others became less interested.

"What sort of prizes do you win?" Eighteen asked; one of the guests whose interest had been caught, especially since this was being hosted by a very rich and powerful woman in the world of business. That had to mean big, big prizes. "Will we win planes and other large prizes? Is there a large sum of money involved?"

"There are much better prizes than those things!" Master Roshi butted in excitedly. "Bulma, please tell me you're giving away sexy DVDs as prizes!"

The storm on Bulma's face intensified as she spat venom through her eyes towards the lecherous ancient man. "Like hell I am!" With a swift flick of her wrist, open-palm met the shiny surface of the old hermit's head and he stumbled back a couple of steps, reeling from the expected strike. Bulma huffed and took a long sip from the wine glass she seemed to have acquired.

The small confrontation had caught the eyes of several others; Corset was currently in conversation with her two high school friends, although truthfully she'd known one of them since they were four! It hadn't gone unnoticed that Gohan had also seemed to feel the occasion required a more formal outfit, though that didn't seem to have stopped his wife from arriving in a smart but casual dress-leggings combo. At least Corset could take solace in knowing she wasn't the only overdressed person here.

"So what's with the dress?" Gohan asked. "You've never worn a dress like that before..."

"Why does everyone keep asking me this?" Corset growled with a roll of her eyes. "It's not that big a deal. I sometimes wear dresses to work too, you know!"

"It suits you," Videl smiled, sensing the annoyance coming from the woman beside her. "I went shopping the other day to see if I could find anything but unfortunately they were either not what I was looking for or not in my size."

"Yeah, that's a pain when that happens," Corset agreed, her focus momentarily turning back to Gohan as she couldn't help but pry, feeling she already knew the answer. "So, where's your father? Training like mine is?"

"How did you know?" Gohan responded dryly. "He went off a few days ago to train on Kaio's planet. Not sure why... I'm beginning to think he gets nervous being around so many of us at one time, unless it's something he's interested in!"

"I'm beginning to think all pure-blooded Saiyans are just anti-social," Corset sighed. "Dad escaped last night after Mama confronted him over dinner – or so Trunks said. I'm not sure how true that is since I don't live with them anymore."

"Oh, that's right!" Videl perked up. "How did your move go? Hope it wasn't too stressful. Did everything get to you safely?"

"Move went off without a hitch," Corset nodded. "I used one of the large Capsule Corp storage boxes to move everything; at least that way I knew I had everything on me. Those removal vans are a thing of the past for those who can afford these babies! There's so much space in them too! I managed to fit my entire wardrobe into this... of course my wardrobe is a capsule too so it was pretty easy to fit it into the huge storage boxes!"

"Being from the family that made the hoi-poi capsules sure has its perks," Gohan chuckled. "They could do with bringing the prices down a little so regular people like us can afford them!"

"Regular people like you? I'm sorry but you're married to one of the richest women in the world thanks to her father's successes!" Corset snorted. "Besides, Mr P-h-D, you're on a decent salary as it is working for Satan City University."

"And still I can't afford one of these miracle capsules you keep going on about!" Gohan teased putting on a dramatic voice.

"That's because this is a proto-type," Corset responded with a wry grin. "It's not out on the market yet. We're still experimenting with it to see what kinds of things we can turn it into and do with it."

"Well it shouldn't be a proto-type anymore!" Gohan cried out loudly, making Videl flinch at his sudden increase in volume! "I demand you sell these things to the general public!"

"Gohan, turn the volume down before you deafen us!" Videl scolded. "How much alcohol have you already had?"

Both women's glances were now firmly on the scholar, who merely turned his nose up at them both. "I've had barely anything!" He declared sticking his nose up at them in a huff.

This only raised both women's suspicions. "Breathe out," Corset ordered.

"Nope."

"Gohan."

"Not gonna."

"Breathe out!"

Gohan squatted down and breathed out hard in Corset's direction, which made her instantly recoil and clasp her nose, "Geez! That stuff stinks of alcohol!" It didn't help that she – and the other hybrids - had inherited their fathers' sense of smell, supposedly as strong as that of a dog.

"You're not used to drinking alcohol," Videl chided, "You should slow down a little. At least wait until we get some food before you try anything more."

"It's not _that_ bad!" Gohan protested. "You two should lighten up and have some too! It's really good!"

"I think I'll pass," Videl rolled her eyes in exasperation. No one thought anything of it at the time as she rarely drank alcohol, plus all recalled an incident around two years prior that was not likely to be held in regard as one of her finest moments. Overindulgence and not really knowing her limit had led to a less than spectacular swim in one of the many Capsule Corp garden fountains, followed by a little punch-up with Gohan who was trying to gain some control over his then-fiancée's hyperactivity which only served to turn her enthusiasm into aggression. The hangover the day after and the guilt of finding out what she'd done (as she couldn't remember any of it) had discouraged her from wanting to revisit that state and so from then on, Videl would drink very little of the poison.

"Let's not forget who we're encouraging to drink," Corset was quick to jab that memory back in her friend's face; she herself had drank a little more than intended that night but at least she'd been able to recall the sheer number of insults and verbal slurs that had left her high school friend's mouth, recalling how much she'd struggled and swung her limbs and body in her fiancé's grasp. Videl'd even managing to land a couple of jabs and elbows in his stomach before trying to make a dash for it, only to be jumped on by a persistent Gohan and a slightly more sober Corset! It was one of the few things she even remembered about her own twenty-first birthday!

"Ah I can take her when I'm sober so I can take her like this too!" Gohan slurred, earning a less than impressed and forsaking sigh from both women.

"We'll see about that," Videl huffed, "So where is Soba, Corset? I'd have thought he would have been here already."

"I don't think he's arrived yet," Corset responded, though she wasn't entirely convincing them as she began looking along the small group of guests to see if he'd slipped in unnoticed. "Maybe I should give him a call… Excuse me for a bit." With that she dashed back into the house, forgetting she'd left her phone in her room. Thoughts trailed through her mind as she made her way up the stairs; had he tried to get in contact with her? Perhaps he was running late? Maybe he'd even forgotten it was today? What if work had called him in suddenly? She was sure he'd told her a few weeks ago he'd managed to book the day off and had gotten some cover organised by his father; being a chef meant long hours and busy kitchens. It was little wonder he didn't eat properly, having cooked all day to come home and not be in the mood to sort himself out anything. It wasn't like Corset could cook him up something either; half the time she wasn't home herself! Meetings could run over more often than not and she'd find herself working at home losing track of time. It had made both their home lives very difficult and had led to a few minor arguments recently. She hoped the tension from home wouldn't have put him off coming here today. Pushing the door open, she rushed over to her desk and peered down at the small screen, pressing a couple of buttons and sighing with relief when she noticed he'd text her around an hour ago saying he was on his way.

Returning downstairs and back out into the large garden, Corset rejoined the others, this time keeping her phone tucked away somewhere discreet and safe. She was a little surprised to see her father was suddenly amongst the crowds, albeit keeping his distance! Her mother seemed to be making her way over towards him; Corset dared not intervene and ask him why he'd had a change of heart, not with how cross his initial decision had left his mother feeling. Within a couple of seconds her phone had started ringing which drew her attention away from her parents and instead onto her phone as she brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

" _Hi, it's me"_ Soba's voice came over the speaker. _"I'm stuck in traffic going through West City but I should be with you soon."_

"Ok, I'll see you when you get here. Give me a call when you arrive and I'll come find you," Corset instructed. "See you in a bit." After he responded with the same last sentence, she hung up and placed her phone away once more, sighing as she did so. Finding her way towards one of the small circular tables everyone now seemed to have settled down around, she joined the rest of the party in its festivities and grabbed herself a plate of food, choosing to sit herself along with Gohan and Videl. She didn't notice the two mysterious people who were now making their way down the garden path along with her parents; the taller of the pair had a bizarre set of clothes unlike anything found on Earth, his only other noticeable quality was the light blue complexion and soft, refined features of his face adorned with shockingly vertical hair. The shorter of the two looked very similar to a terrestrial cat, yet he was bipedal and wore clothes similar to those worn in an ancient civilisation many years forgotten. Both were invited to sit themselves at a table and help themselves to food.

Her father's strange behaviour, however, did not go unnoticed. It was only because he'd momentarily raised his voice that Corset even remembered he was here! One glance over her shoulder turned to a double-take as she saw him fawning rather clumsily around these two guests, speaking rather politely to them. Momentarily her eyes focused on the two strangers, wondering when and how they'd gotten onto the grounds. It was clear they weren't Earthlings and her father seemed to be acquainted with them. Perhaps they'd met in space whilst he'd been working for Freeza all those years ago? Still it struck her as odd that he seemed to be trying to be nice towards them. Nice was not his style…

"All right!" Bulma's voice came over the speakers; she'd made her way up onto the stage and now had a microphone in hand. It seemed she was about to start the bingo tournament. Corset sat back and listened as her mother introduced all the prizes their guests could win, including a castle, a triplane, a couple of gigantic boxes covered in wrapping paper (the mystery prizes, or so her mother introduced them as), a sports car, and the final and probably the best prize of all – a free wish on the Dragonballs.

She couldn't say she was the least bit interested in it all but nevertheless she showed enthusiasm where it was asked for.

She hadn't expected for things to make such an unexpected turn.


	3. 03 - Bingo Frenzy

**Chapter 03 – Bingo Frenzy**

It wasn't long until Corset's phone rang again.

" _Hey, it's me again,"_ Soba's voice came over the speaker. Once again he'd called her and it wasn't entirely good news. _"There's been a big crash up ahead. I'm stuck on the main west highway coming into the city but I haven't moved in half an hour."_

This wasn't the news she'd wanted to hear. Biting her lip, Corset searched her mind for an alternative plan. She didn't want to be here without him, or rather she could be here without him but she wanted him to share in the event too. Things had been rough between them recently and today was the first time in weeks they'd been able to meet up or do something that didn't involve them greeting each other home after a long day at work, eating in almost silence and then heading straight to bed. They hadn't had any dates in a while. Her job was taxing on her time, as was his.

This was just another spanner in the works that was surely going to come up in an argument later on. Both had agreed they needed to make changes if they were going to keep this relationship going and both were willing to give it a go.

It wasn't the end of the world.

"Ok, I'll come and find you and bring you here myself," Corset decided. "You're on your bike, right?"

" _What else?"_ was his sarcastic response. _"I'm on the eastbound side about half a kilometre from junction twelve."_

"Right, I'll see you in a bit," Corset ended the call and took in a deep breath, feeling her heart begin to beat a little faster. Her mother was still on stage drawing the lucky numbers, currently about to reveal the lucky winner of one of the latest, state-of-the-art yachts. She couldn't interrupt her now. Feeling somewhat a coward, Corset instead sneaked over to find her younger brother. That quickly led her to a dead end. Just where was Trunks now? She didn't have time for this!

Something bumped into her as she turned on her heels, Corset almost falling backwards as her father barged past her. It startled her just how on edge he seemed, even muttering to himself under his breath! "You alright?" She asked.

The question seemed to drag Vegeta out of his thoughts and whatever concerns were apparent were quickly hidden behind his usual detached composure. "I'm fine. Perhaps you should consider refraining from consuming that debilitating beverage your mother seems to be handing out. Apparently your human blood makes you just as vulnerable to its effects."

Her brows crossed. "I'm not drunk! I'm just looking for Trunks. Since I can't find him, I'll tell you instead. Soba's stuck in traffic so I'm gonna go find him. I'll be back soon."

Her father grunted and wandered off, muttering something inaudible, though Corset assumed he was still complaining about the sheer amount of alcohol being consumed here. Ignoring his irritable mood, she slipped out of the garden and back into the main building, rushing down the main corridor to the front entrance, where she took to the skies. She'd rather be subtle about it and take off where hopefully no one would notice, thus avoiding conversations with her mother about why she was leaving!

The main east-west highway ran through the centre of West City and connected the metropolis to many other regional towns and cities. Stretching predominantly eastwards, it would eventually terminate in Central City and was one of four main highways that branched off from the central location of the continent, the other three heading north, south and east. To the west of West City, the highway continued due west until it hit Shore City, then splitting into two smaller highways that followed the coasts north and south. It ran about three kilometres north from Capsule Corp and could be seen quite easily snaking through the high-rise towers and buildings.

Corset quickly spotted it and curved towards the west, following it downtown and beyond. Having lived in West City for most of her life, she knew the path it followed well, knowing which junction was where in the city, even having used it as a route to follow sometimes when she'd commuted to Orange Star High School over in Satan City. It was about a five minute flight over to junction twelve. Even as she'd first approached the highway, she'd noticed how the traffic was stationary. Eastbound was at a complete standstill, though the westbound carriageway seemed to be better in regards to flow.

Spotting one bike amongst this was going to be a challenge. Luckily for Corset, she could sense Soba's ki. Descending to the tarmac, she landed between three lanes of traffic. Those in the surrounding cars and trucks were astounded and flabbergasted at seeing a woman land amongst them – coming from the sky no less! However, the biker she'd landed before seemed indifferent. Removing his helmet, Soba dismounted his bike and sucked in a small supply of oxygen. "… Do we really have to do this?"

"If you wanna get to the party before the day is over, I'm afraid so," Corset nodded grimly. She knew perfectly well this was asking a lot from Soba – his fear of heights and flying seemed to have gotten worse in the last couple of years! Nevertheless he accepted his fate and once he'd placed his bike back into its capsule, he allowed his girlfriend to grip onto him firmly around the waist, holding onto her by wrapping his arms around her neck. Being taller than her made this awkward but all too soon his feet were leaving the ground, gravity was dragging him down and a loud scream escaped his lips before he could stop himself!

Corset flew as slowly as she could stand, being mindful to not fly too high (Soba had thrown up on her once because of it, much to her annoyance and despite her empathy!) but not too slow so as to prolong the flight. This balance was difficult to get but she was sure she was slowly getting the hang of it. "We'll be there sooner than you'll know," She encouraged him, worrying when she felt him retch against her.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination – although Soba was sure it'd taken them an eternity. He was very relieved to have his feet back on solid ground, though their timing had been awkward. Everyone around them seemed to be still as statues, looking over towards Trunks and a few people Corset didn't recognise. One of them – a girl with long dark hair – seemed to be holding something to her brother's head. If Corset wasn't mistaken, it was either a fake gun or a real one! _'What the hell is going on?'_

"… We're not kidding, you know!" A small, blue goblin-looking creature screeched. "We'll even be willing to take one hundred thousand zeni!"

Some of the crowd began to laugh, others had bright, smug smiles etched across their faces. It certainly seemed to unnerve the trio of strangers.

"What the heck did we just walk into?" Soba asked quietly, worried about the potential real-life weapon being happily used. Unlike the majority of people here, he was vulnerable to gun wounds and didn't fancy getting on the wrong sides of these little kids. "Is this something Trunks has made up or something?"

"Beats me," Corset shrugged her shoulders.

"Relax you two," Krillin beamed in their direction. "Long of the short of it is these guys want the Dragonballs and have taken Trunks hostage."

"It's disturbing how casual you guys are taking this," Soba muttered. _'Even if it's not hopefully going to harm it, this isn't right! There's a gun pointing at a kid's head for goodness sake!'_

Gohan took a couple of steps forward – a few eyebrows rose as he emerged as the Great Saiyaman – his crimefighting alter-ego. Corset could smell it even from where she was standing; he'd apparently consumed a little more alcohol since she'd left. "You kids shouldn't play with guns like that, you could really hurt someone! Unfortunately you've come to the wrong party – now you will have to deal with the hero of justice!" He took a couple of moments to flash off any poses he could form in his drunken state, almost losing his balance at one stage.

"Gohan can't handle his alcohol, huh?" Krillin was bemused.

"Now a weapon like that," Gohan continued, pointing a gloved finger at the small girl holding Trunks hostage, "that could do a lot of harm to a regular person." There was a bizarre smile spreading over his face. "Let's try it on me! Go on, I'll let you shoot me!"

"Sh-Shoot y-y-you?" The girl stammered, nudging back a little but still holding her headlock over Trunks.

"It's ok, it won't hurt him," Trunks reassured her calmly.

The look on the trio's faces was priceless. Gohan continued to goad them into shooting him which only seemed to freak them out all the more. The girl pointed her gun in his direction, hesitated and threw Trunks off to the side – who took a couple of stumbles before correcting his footing. With a shriek, the girl fired off several shots, all of which Gohan deflected or took head-on. When the round had finished and the shock had settled in, Gohan remained as straight as ever, as pleased as ever and possibly now drunk on his pride as well as the alcohol! "See kids, not a scratch on me! I won't let you hurt anyone here with that dangerous weapon of yours!"

A shriek of pain caught their ear. Corset glanced over and took in a sharp intake of air as she spotted Videl upon the ground, clutching her right leg with both hands. A small pool of blood seemed to be trickling down her leggings and seeping through the gaps of her fingers.

"V-Videl!" Mr Satan naturally rushed over to his daughter's side, fearful of what had happened to her. Dende also hurried over, quickly settling himself down beside her and outstretching his arms.

The trio of strangers made a break for it in all the commotion, not that anyone was too bothered by this.

"I can't believe you let your wife be hurt!" Chichi was screaming at her remorseful, drunken son who'd resigned to watching over his wife apologising profusely. The incident seemed to have sobered him up slightly which was a relief to see. Corset wasn't too concerned for her friend's safety but did feel Gohan would definitely be paying for it later on. Videl's determination and temper was still fairly legendary amongst the group and her fury could rival that of her mother-in-law's if provoked. Dende set to work and in no time had healed the wound. He seemed a little confused by something but was cut off before he could say anything.

"It's a secret," Videl had whispered to him.

What came next redefined the word bizarre.

Her father's voice over the microphone stationed over at the bingo stage drew heads and attention as the Saiyan Prince went into what could only be described as a song and dance about bingo. The mere thought of putting 'dance' and 'singing' and her father in the same sentence was alien to them all… he would be the last, last person in the entire universe to be caught singing and dancing and yet here they were, witnessing him do just that. Had Hell frozen over?

"Is your dad drunk too?" Soba's eyes couldn't have been any wider if he'd tried.

"… I don't know anymore," Corset hesitantly shrugged her shoulders in a dead-pan voice. Just when she thought she'd seen the peak of how much her father was willing to open up to them, just when she thought she'd never, ever see him willingly make himself vulnerable… What was any of them supposed to do with this information? He was a very serious person, never showing any interest in any earthling event that would involve making him look like an idiot – his own choice of words. Corset was almost certain this was one of those moments where he'd say he looked like an idiot.

The twirling and singing finished. There was an uncomfortable silence before some of those in the crowds started clapping. Would he kill them for clapping or would he kill them for not clapping? Had he lost his mind? Had he also been sampling the strains of poison being served up? No one dared ask as he hurriedly left the stage, face hidden from view.

"… Well… Sh-shall we start the bingo then?" Bulma wasn't entirely sure what to make of her husband's theatrics but it seemed as good a time as any to get the main spectacle started. It was her party after all and it was endearing to see her husband make such a fuss over her birthday to force himself to partake in human activities!

Corset wasn't particularly interested in the bingo – she was far more interested in what the hell her dad was up to! There had to be a good reason it. Leaving Soba to sit amongst the others on a table with Videl and Gohan, she scurried over to her father who was now stalking the side-lines. What was she going to say to him? The thought passed her mind as she made her way over; time slowed down as she began to scramble for answers in her head, certain than any she'd come out with would probably be greeted coldly. She'd have to be very selective with her words if she wanted to get a reasonably restrained answer from him after that… display.

Whilst her mother's voice echoed across the veranda through the speakers, the rest of her guests settled themselves down upon the tables provided – the two mysterious aliens included. The scowling dark eyes momentarily fell on her before shifting away, her father striding off before she could even speak. She wasn't giving in that easily. "W-Wait. You know something, don't you?" It wasn't her first choice of an opening question but it did the trick. Vegeta stopped and glanced around. Perhaps it hadn't worked as well as she'd thought. Bemused, she watched as he continued to turn and look about their surroundings. Was he looking for something? "… Can I help?" She offered.

Buu's voice was barely audible over the speakers.

"What's going on?" Piccolo had also approached. He looked as serious as always.

"It's none of your concern – either of you," Vegeta responded heatedly. His head was beginning to turn faster and faster as if he was growing increasingly concerned about finding whatever it was he was searching for.

Corset was about to leave them be when Piccolo spoke out again, saying something very intriguing. "I know these two are trouble." The confused face on Corset and the suspicious look Vegeta was giving led him to qualify his reasoning. "I retained Kami's knowledge and wisdom when he and I fused to beat Cell. Kami was God of this world so he was able to detect the ki of other Gods. I was able to detect the distinct difference in Kaioshin's ki when he first appeared to us at the Tenkaichi Budokai to warn us about Buu. I've got the exact same feeling about these two visitors." Dark eyes met those of the shorter, disturbed warrior. "You know them, don't you?" It wasn't a question, it was an accusation.

Buu's voice was getting louder and more distressed.

"Who are they?" Corset asked, still clueless and now very eager to find out. Her eyes shifted back and forth between her tall, former mentor and her vertically-challenged father.

It took a moment for Vegeta to speak. "… We mustn't upset them, no matter what. Those two will grab whatever opportunity they can get to destroy the planet."

"Gods of Destruction?" Piccolo asked, a bead of sweat merging upon his temple. "… One of them is the Hakaishin?"

"Yes," Vegeta confirmed. "We've met once before."

"What's the Hakaishin doing here?" Piccolo was sounding more and more worried. "Has he chosen this planet at his next target?"

"At the risk of sounding kinda stupid, what exactly does a Hakaishin do?" Corset butted in. "You said God of Destruction… do they go about destroying things?"

"It's more than that," Piccolo interjected sternly, as if she'd just insulted the role. "It's a role different from those we've encountered before such as Freeza and Cell – they chose to destroy life through choice. In a way you could say they helped the Hakaishin in their role. The Hakaishin are the Gods of Destruction – it is their role to destroy life and counterbalance the role of the Kaioshin – who protect life. If there were no one to do such a job, the universe would become overpopulated and there'd be no more room for new life and planets to be born, so it is the job of the Hakaishin to make sure there is enough space. They cleanse the universe of the old or dying planets, or those causing there to be too much destruction."

"We were almost certain that perhaps the Hakaishin would have eventually killed Freeza," Vegeta added grimly.

"So there's someone whose job it is to kill people?" Corset asked arching an eyebrow and folding her arms unimpressed. "What kind of messed up universe do we live in?"

"Death is a natural part of the life cycle," Piccolo responded to her disgust. "If it wasn't there, we'd all be in a lot of trouble. It balances out the order in the universe."

Buu's loud voice cut through the momentary lull. Panic swept over the Saiyan Prince and Namekian as the conversation entered their ears; Buu was arguing with the cat-looking stranger. Before Corset could ask more about this Hakaioshin, both veteran fighters were dashing over to the escalating shouting. Buu had just downed an entire plate of pudding from the looks of it and Corset was almost certain the cat-like person didn't like this one bit.

With a terrific roar, the purple alien unleashed his fury, ki bolting up unbelievably fast.

Buu charged.


	4. 04 - The God of Destruction

**Chapter 04 – God of Destruction.**

An ethereal glow had surrounded one of the mysterious aliens, surrounding his cat-like body with a deep purple glow. Buu flew at him enraged, determined to keep the stranger away from anymore food and to make him pay for insulting him.

The air before him repelled him, Buu unable to control his movement as he sped dangerously back, landing hard against the surface of a nearby lake over the perimeter of Capsule Corp's walls. The spray from his collision was thrown a good hundred metres into the air, soaking any unlucky residents currently in the park!

"W-Wait! Lord Birus!" Vegeta hurriedly interjected.

His cry went unheard as the God of Destruction raised his hand and gathered up energy. "This planet will be destroyed!"

"Attack!" Kame Sennin roared out.

She didn't need telling twice. Having heard what this alien proposed to do, Corset made a start towards him. One rogue movement of her eyes to the left made her feet stumble and send her off on a tangent towards Soba, who was struggling to stand in the terrific force of Birus' ki. Latching onto an arm and holding it over her shoulders, she kept his footing secure as best she could, keeping an eye out for anyone else who seemed to be struggling. A couple of flashes beside her headed for Birus: Eighteen, Tenshinhan and Piccolo were on the attack.

Birus teleported. Eighteen was knocked unconscious.

Tenshinhan closed in. Birus caught his punch with nothing but a pair of chopsticks. In a flash, he'd tossed the three-eyed tower-of-a-warrior into the ground, Tenshinhan buried under a rubble of destroyed wiring, pipes and concrete. Spouts of water began shooting out of the drains nearby, some even bursting through unstable ground.

Piccolo's kick was parried. A dangerously sharp drop in his ki synchronised with the Namekian falling limp to the ground set Corset's heart racing faster. She could feel her forehead was damp, her breathing had increased and there was a sense of serious worry coming over her. Before she could even think to rush over to Piccolo and the others, Birus had vanished and was now hovering over the park.

A cry from Gohan shook her from her fear as he took off after Birus.

"… What the hell is going on?" Soba's voice sounded dry. "Who is that guy?"

"I'll explain later," Corset released him from her hold and took a couple of steps away from him.

"No – you'll explain right now," Soba took two steps forward, suddenly finding his serious-face and replacing his look of horror. "You know something."

"I've only just found out something that might be important," Corset corrected him. "Ask my dad, ok? I don't think he's jumping into this fight any time soon."

"Corset!" Soba shouted out, unable to stop her in time as his girlfriend shot off the ground. Even if he had managed to successfully grab her, she'd have probably dragged him up into the air with her… and he _hated_ heights. Irritated, Soba let out a small grunt before hurrying over towards Vegeta who seemed to be rooted to the spot. He looked worried. It sent an uncomfortable feeling through Soba.

Jumping straight into her Super Saiyan Two form wasn't the easiest thing she'd done but it was over in a flash. Birus had Gohan and Buu hanging in his grasp, repeatedly cracking their heads together with a sickening look of satisfaction upon his face. In a blink he'd knocked Gohan back with a kick and dropped Buu back into the lake, eyes dead-set on the incoming Saiyan.

Time slowed again.

Corset's eyes followed Gohan as he shot past her. He'd acquired a form to take control of his hidden ability thanks to the old Kaioshin. He was currently in that form. It had been a form that had been more than a match for the lean, tall Buu prior to him absorbing Gotenks and Piccolo. It was a form that Corset herself would hate to have to fight Gohan in and one she regarded with the highest esteem. So it came as a shock to the system to see Gohan – in that form – knocked out so easily. What the hell was she about to fight?

Time returned to normal speed.

Corset teleported.

Birus kicked out into thin air.

It was like she'd materialised from nothing; his foot was wedged so deeply into her solar plexus. Time seemed to have slowed down painfully. It was as if she was able to assess the damage in the space of an hour; a sharp pain was gathering around her stomach, the wind was being forced from her lungs. There was at least one broken rib. A blur of purple knocked the sight from her and she felt her head tug on her neck, lurching back and dragging her body through the air.

She collided with the Capsule Corp perimeter wall and crashed to the ground with a heavy crack, throwing up brick, tiles and grass.

It was only because Vegeta'd taken off without a word and Soba'd followed him as best he could with his eyes; head had turned enough to see the sudden explosion of brick and lawn just to the right of where he was looking. The noise made him and several bystanders jump, something dropped in the pit of his stomach and made him dash forward, ignoring Bulma's cries for everyone to stop fighting in the middle of her thirty-eighth birthday celebrations. (He was sure Corset'd told him she was older than that!)

Up above, Vegeta was receiving a battering from Birus. Down amongst the crowd, Goten and Trunks were getting ready to fuse into Gotenks.

' _Don't be dead, don't be dead, don't be dead,'_ repeating those words in his mind as he approached, Soba skidded onto his knees and placed two fingers on her neck. The weight in his stomach relaxed as he felt her pulse still strong, though she wore a tight grimace on her bloodied face, a dark bruise and lump creeping over her forehead. In the background Soba could hear other cries; Videl and Chichi in particular calling Gohan and trying to wake him up. Dende was suddenly very busy running over to each casualty and replenishing their life force with his healing powers. He looked up to the sky to see Vegeta be knocked several hundred metres away from them, chased after by the purple cat-like fighter. "What the hell is happening…?" He muttered.

Sounds were coming from the back of her throat; Soba dug his arms underneath her shoulder blades and pulled her up slightly, "Come on, you're ok. You're gonna be fine, Dende's almost over here." He wasn't sure if it was more reassuring for himself or for her but Soba was relieved when Dende finally made his way over towards them.

"Fusion HA!" The synchronised voices of Goten and Trunks off to the side pre-warned Soba of the blinding light that suddenly flashed across his vision. Baffled and disorientated, he struggled to make out who was responsible as Gotenks launched himself over towards the fight, charging up into his Super Saiyan form.

"Sorry to have taken so long," Dende apologised as he reached the pair, kneeling down and extending his arms towards Corset. The pale glow slowly encased his hands, reaching out and engulfing Corset as Dende set out to heal her. The job was done in a matter of seconds, Soba relieved to see Corset's eyes open.

"Good, you're alright," He sighed, relieved. "Is now a good time to tell me what's going on?"

"… What's happening with Birus?" Corset asked, sitting up and making her way out of his arms. "Who's fighting him?"

"Your father and Gotenks," Dende responded.

"Whoever that guy is, he's unbelievably strong," Gohan had emerged at their side, apparently miraculously sober now. "I've never felt anything like it. Not even Buu matched up to this guy."

"His energy is bizarre," Corset agreed. "… It's almost undetectable until he hits you."

Soba glanced at the woman, noticing she was either shivering or shaking. It unnerved him to see her like this.

There was a terrific roar as a dark plume of smoke rose from the treeline. The plummet in her father and Gotenk's energies forced her to her feet, made her rush forwards against Soba's protests, joined by Gohan as the two made their way over to the rising tower of smoke. Passing over a short garden wall, Corset spotted the trio – now a group of four as Gotenks' had defused. The boys were down for the count; her father standing before Birus, hunched over and holding onto his left arm. _'What the hell is going on, Dad? Why is this guy here?'_ Corset cursed their luck, cautiously approaching the boys just in case the cat-warrior lunged for them.

"We should get the boys to safety," Gohan warned, reaching Goten and bringing his younger brother into his arms. Neither of the boys were conscious, both had taken an alarming amount of damage from however many hits they'd been dealt. Corset was almost certain it hadn't been that many; she'd only been hit a couple of times before she'd been rendered useless. Just what the hell had their planet unwillingly walked into?

"That's enough!"

Corset double-took, almost dropping Trunks as she realised her mother had approached Birus and her father. "What…?" She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to go drastically wrong. Flashbacks of losing her mother a mere four years ago to the evil form of Buu raced through her mind – Chichi's actions against the evil Buu suddenly made a reappearance as her mother extended her arm outwards and whipped it across, slapping Birus across the face. The sound echoed in Corset's head, ringing in her ears as she realised exactly what was about to happen.

Too late, too slow and too far away to step in her mother's place.

The echoing slap of Birus' paw-like hand against her mother's delicate face broke her. The movement of her mother's limp body falling, crashing to the ground in a dead faint, slashing a new mental scar within the demi Saiyan, the sound of her mother striking the hard concrete triggering off her worst fears.

Then the build-up of energy – yet it wasn't her energy. She was further sent into shock as her father howled out like a wounded animal, "THAT'S MY BULMA!" His ki bolted, unleashing itself from its restraints as those in the immediate vicinity were blown away, trees uprooted, water from nearby fountains blown completely from its confines out onto the rattling paving slabs. With a flash, Vegeta had launched an all-out-assault against the perpetrator, launching Birus clean into the sky.

As her father's fury dominated the fight, Corset raced over to her mother, shuffling Trunks into one arm and holding her mother's limp body in the other, launching herself off the ground and straight towards Dende. She could just about sense life in her mother's body, determined not to let it snuff itself out. Numbness still reigned, yet she found a single tear rolling down her cheek. Was it the shock of seeing her mother knocked aside as if she were nothing? Perhaps. But she suspected it had something more to do with her father's reaction, his raw, emotional reaction and the action he was now taking. She'd never sensed power like it come from him. It almost reminded her of Gohan's abilities, dragging immeasurable power from nowhere and finding the strength to beat down the cause of pain.

"Vegeta's power is incredible!" Krillin exclaimed, voice barely heard over the howling of the wind the fight above was causing. "I've never sensed anything like this come from him before."

"He may have even surpassed Goku in power…" Master Roshi added.

Corset gently set her brother and mother next to Goten, waiting wordlessly for Dende to finish off with the miniature Goku and tend to her family. She barely registered the hand that fell upon her shoulder, barely felt the warmth of Gohan's hand upon her skin. He knew what this was doing to her; he'd witnessed her struggle over the years, had seen what the aloof, uncaring façade her father had shown them over the years had done to her. So he knew just how much this moment meant to his oldest friend. "He's doing it for your mother."

"Yeah…" She mumbled in response.

Vegeta roared as a kick sent Birus spinning uncontrollably across the sky. The Saiyan Prince's hands joined together by the palms, held in a familiar stance to those who bore witness to his fight against Cell – a move Krillin had seen before. His ki still barrelling through his veins like frenzied lava, gathering in his palms and forming into a bright yellow ball.

"Quick! Everyone, get down!" Krillin hollered. "Vegeta's gonna fire off his Final Flash!" He latched onto his wailing daughter tightly, Eighteen shielding her with her own body. Corset clamped hold of her mother's wrist, glancing quickly over her shoulder to see Soba make it over to her in time, arm wrapping around his waist as he crouched down beside her.

"What's a Final Flash?" He asked loudly over the howling winds, which had picked up tremendously under the pressure.

"Whatever Dad fires off!" Corset replied. "Hold on!"

"FINAL FLASH!" Vegeta bellowed. The gathering energy burst forwards in a terrifying, wide beam of light. The atmosphere went haywire, winds strengthening further, tornadoes forming under the energy of the air as lighting flashed across the skies. The wind dragged anything it could from the ground, tossing objects hundreds of metres from their original placings. The garden became unrecognisable, the windows of nearby buildings shattering under the pressure, sending razor-sharp projectiles to zoom across the immediate area. In the city around them, people were shrieking in panic, some thrown from their feet, whilst vehicles were thrown off balance and sent in all directions, striking buildings and others. The city was an absolute mess by the time the blinding flash of the attack had started to fade, the wind dropping as suddenly as it'd started, clouds gradually dispersing across the sky.

High above them, Vegeta hovered exhausted from the energy he'd expended, beads of sweat trickling down his face. His eyes faced ahead, looking through the dense light of his attack, searching for any sign that would suggest Birus was still around. His body had been exhausted, his energy reserves dwindled. The Prince knew what to expect, even without being able to detect his foe. This was the God of Destruction he was dealing with; even with his sudden discovery of hidden strength, he knew it wouldn't have been enough… But, perhaps it'd been enough to make the god think twice.

The overwhelming moment passed. Birus was inches from his foe, launching a fist clean into Vegeta's stomach. The tables had turned once again, Vegeta suddenly being battered about helplessly, his energy draining further as the cat-like fighter dealt hit after hit after hit.

Down below, what was left of the garden was in ruins. The stage had been completely destroyed and had collapsed in on itself, the presents scattering somewhere beyond the perimeter of the complex. The people, however, had somehow managed to hold their ground, several shields having gone up to protect those who weren't as capable of withstanding the force Vegeta's attack had set off. One by one, the energy shields dropped and the spectators gradually rose to their feet.

"That was insane!" Krillin huffed trying to gain back much-needed oxygen. "Good thing we have Piccolo here to come up with ideas, I wouldn't have thought to put up a shield if you hadn't insisted."

Piccolo missed his opportunity to criticise Krillin for his lack of thinking, too busy with watching the battle above them. Vegeta took another strike to the face, forcing him to barrel-roll straight down to earth, landing with a heavy thud to the concrete and tossing loosened shards skywards alongside dust.

"Dad!" Corset dashed forwards, caught by the wrist by Gohan who kept her firmly rooted to the spot.

"There's nothing we can do," He frowned. "None of us stand a chance."

"I know, but if you don't mind, I wanna at least help my father out," Corset grunted.

"This planet will be destroyed," Birus declared, slowly descending towards the spot Vegeta had collided, feet landing gently upon the ground. "Whis, we're leaving. Hurry up and finish with your business so I can destroy this planet."

The Saiyan rose unsteadily to meet his opponent, unstable with the damage he'd taken. His voice was heard but inaudible to those further back; it was met with a simple prod to the forehead from the taller fighter, Vegeta crashing motionless to the ground.

"It was truly a shame that one of you ended up being the Super Saiyan God," Birus mused, extending one hand out towards the ground.

"S-Super Saiyan… God?" Gohan muttered intrigued.

"I've never heard of it," Corset responded quietly.

"What's he doing?" Chichi asked, a quiver in her voice. "… Is he…?"

Birus was. His hand was palm-flat, gathering energy pointed towards the ground.

"Wait, Birus!"

That was a voice they all recognised – and Corset was very much relieved to see and hear the owner of said voice make his appearance. Goku'd always had a way with dramatic entrances, suddenly materialising from nothing and standing between the group and their guest. Instant Transmission.

"Goku!" Krillin gasped with relief.

"Sorry it took so long, guys," Goku apologised to those behind him, focus turning once more to the fighter towering over Vegeta's unconscious form. "I know you're the God of Destruction but please, spare the Earth just this once!"

Piccolo loudly inhaled, a cold sweat sweeping down his back. "… So it really is true. Vegeta was right."

"What's one of those?" Goten asked.

"… Piccolo?" Gohan was alarmed with the look of pure horror upon his old mentor's face. "… Is this guy another one of the higher gods that look after our part of the universe?"

"Y-Yes… Only…" Piccolo's mouth had gone dry.

"Only I'm one of the gods who go about destroying," Birus interjected, his large ears twitching. "You've all heard of Kaio and the Kaioshin from what I understand. Well, I'm at the same level of importance as the latter. Where there is creation, there must also be destruction. New things cannot be made if old things are not destroyed."

"He's planning to destroy Earth," Goku frowned. "… But I think I know a way to stop you."

"Oh?" Birus responded intrigued. "So, does that mean you've worked out how to become a Super Saiyan God?"

' _They keep on mentioning this Super Saiyan God… but what is it?'_ Corset pondered. She couldn't help but wonder if this was one of the other gods Goku had met during his time in Otherworld. If they lived through this, she'd have to pester him about this later on.

"I haven't, not yet," Goku responded, "-But I know I'll find a way to become this Super Saiyan God if you give us more time. Please, spare the Earth this once and I won't disappoint you, I will find a way to do it and I have a plan which should hopefully help us to find out."

It was hard to read Birus' facial expressions, Corset found. She would probably have just as much success trying to read the faces of her grandparent's pets. In any case, she didn't want the Earth to be destroyed (again) and hoped that whatever this Super Saiyan God was meant to be, Goku's words would be more than enough to keep this God of Destruction's interest piqued and would save the Earth from an immanent fate-deciding attack.

"… Fine," Birus agreed. "I will give you a little more time… But if this plan fails, I will destroy Earth."

"Thank you," Goku smiled, spinning on his heels and dashing towards Bulma, who had recovered from her ordeal thanks to Dende. "Hey Bulma, you still have the full set of Dragonballs, don't you?"

"Of course," Bulma nodded.

"Do you mind if I use them?" Goku asked. "I wanna ask Shenron something."

"As long as it's to do with getting rid of this rude idiot, I'm fine with that," Bulma responded, digging out the Dragonball Radar from a remarkably well-hidden pocket in her dress. "Here, go at it."

"Thank you," Goku smiled, taking the radar from her and switching it on. To his confusion, the balls weren't exactly together on the screen as expected. "… Didn't you say you had all seven together?" Bulma took a couple of steps forward to glance down upon the screen as Goku continued, "They're not exactly far apart but I'm not sure what's going on here… Is it broken?"

"It could only have been caused by Vegeta's attack," Piccolo pointed out. "You weren't here when it happened."

"If you would be so kind as to hurry up before I change my mind?" Birus interjected. Hurriedly, Goku dashed over in the direction the radar led him in whilst the others remained uncomfortably rooted to the spot. Eventually Birus left, preferring to follow Goku on his search.

"… So who exactly is this guy…?" Soba asked once the man was quite some distance away. "… and why is he trying to blow up Earth?"

"He's a God of Destruction," Corset responded. "The Hakaioshin – he's a really important person within the universe. There are gods who look over the planets; he's one of the highest ranked gods you can come across from what I understand."

"Ugh, I remember you trying to teach me this before," Soba rubbed his hair wearisomely. "Never mind, just tell me why he wants to kill us all."

"Comes with the job title," Corset responded wryly. Movement from her right caught her eye; Dende had rushed over to heal her father and now he was rising to his feet, Corset relieved to see he was alright for the most part.

The group gradually strode back into the now-littered garden, making a small ring around Goku as he set the Dragonballs out in position upon the ground. "Arise, Shenron!"

The familiar flash of light bolted free from the glowing orbs, launching itself in a single beam straight for the skies above.


	5. 05 - The Fulfilled Prophecy

**AN: PLEASE NOTE -** I have made changes to the previous chapters of this story, as of 26/10/2015. What was chapter 1 is now chapter 2 as I have added in extra features derived from Dragonball Super. As such, some of the contents of the original chapters uploaded here have shifted about a little. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

-LilDBZBuddy89

* * *

 **Chapter 05 – The Fulfilled Prophecy**

Shenron took shape as the light settled, looming over the group and over the ruffled city of the west. His long serpentine form floated over the complex, body smoothly cutting through the air like a hot knife on butter, the scarlet of his eyes clashing heavily with his green scaled body. Once more the wish-granting dragon of legend had been summoned forth. "You have summoned me. Tell me your wishes and I shall grant them."

"Shenron, we have a question to ask of you," Goku responded.

"I wonder what exactly Goku wants to ask him," Krillin mused. "Knowing how to defend yourself against a guy like this would be a start, or working out how to get him to change his mind would help!"

Corset glanced over upon hearing strange noises coming from her right, gasping when she realised who was making them. "Oh! You've never seen Shenron before, have you?" She realied, eyes directly on Soba who seemed to be shivering and gawking aimlessly at the towering monster. "Don't worry, this is the dragon that grants wishes. He's a little grouchy but he won't harm you."

Soba was unable to respond.

"Shenron, do you know anything about a Super Saiyan God?" Goku asked.

The dragon seemed to mull it over before answering. "… I do."

This brought a smile to Goku's face and a wave of relief. "Great! Would you be able to bring him here?"

"That I cannot do," Shenron's voice boomed. "They do not exist."

"Why the fascination with a Super Saiyan God?" Gohan asked scratching his head. "Dad, is this a new type of Super Saiyan you've heard of?"

"Not exactly," Goku responded. "I'd never heard of it until this morning." He turned back to Shenron, unsure of what to do now.

"It is a form artificially created by the Saiyans." Shenron continued, "Now, enough questions: do you have any wishes? If not, I'll be taking my leave."

"Artificially created?" Goku repeated. "What do you mean? How does the Super Saiyan God become real? We only ask because Birus wants to fight them."

Corset saw the change in Shenron's eyes. Wider, more alert. The change in his voice, usually sturdy and commanding, was even more alarming. "B-Birus? L-L-Lord Birus is here?" The dragon moved his head as much as he could to spot the owner of said name, halting when at last he found him stood amongst the crowds along with Whis. "L-Lord Birus! I did not realise you were here!"

"If you would tell us the method for acquiring Super Saiyan God…?" Birus responded.

"O-Of course, Lord Birus!" Shenron nodded frantically.

"I've never seen Shenron this shaken before…" Bulma mused. "… Exactly who is this rude idiot anyway?"

"B-Bulma!" Goku spluttered. "You shouldn't insult him! He's a god!"

"… And that's supposed to mean what? He's still an idiot whether he's a god not! Who goes off their rocker just over some stupid pudding?" Bulma griped.

"He's not just any ordinary run-off-the-mill god," Vegeta interrupted shaken. "The God of Destruction is one of the most fearsome gods you can come across. It's their job to wipe the universe of life, destroying planets as and when he chooses."

"He's the most powerful god out there," Goku added. "He even makes Kaio and the Kaioshin wet themselves. That's just how fearsome he is!"

"You should be careful of what you say around Birus," the taller, blue-skinned visitor perked up, a noticeable box of sushi held in one hand. "He could destroy the entire solar system in no time if provoked."

"That's enough, Whis," Birus butted in. "Shenron, you were saying?"

The towering dragon seemed to jolt with anxiety as Birus spoke, "Y-Yes Lord Birus. The Super Saiyan God was created thousands of years ago accidentally. The Saiyans were in turmoil, a small group of righteous Saiyans wanted to make a stand against the larger population of evil Saiyans. Their powers were transferred into one Saiyan who achieved the Super Saiyan God state, who then went on to eliminate most of the evil Saiyans before losing the transformation. And so the Saiyans became a race of evil once more as the hero was erased and condemned to being legendary. The form appears when five righteous Saiyans transfer their energies into another righteous Saiyan, they will create a Super Saiyan God. There, that is the method for achieving Super Saiyan God. I must go now." He glanced to Birus once more, "It has been a pleasure and honour to be in your presence, Lord Birus."

And with that, the dragon vanished in a blinding flash of light, the Dragonballs rising into the air, ready to jet themselves across the planet. In the instant they'd gathered momentum, Dende had shot out his hand and halted the balls in their tracks. Stunned, the tiny spheres fell to the grassy earth below, gathered into an untidy group of seven before them all.

"Saves us having to look for them again," the younger Namekian explained to a curious Krillin, who then nodded in agreement.

"So, we need to have some righteous Saiyans here… is that it?" Corset rested her chin in her hand.

"It's impossible," Piccolo grimly mused. "The only pure Saiyans here would be Gohan and Goten. We'd need more than that to achieve the form."

"Excuse me?" Bulma piped up irately. "Vegeta maybe a hopeless case but what about Corset and Trunks? Do they not look pure-heated to you?"

"In regards to Corset, there is a certain tainting from her father in regards to her temperament," Piccolo responded, earning a glare from his former pupil, "… and any kid who has a girlfriend at his age is clearly not pure."

"Well what about Goku?" Chichi pointed out, just as irked as Bulma. "He's able to ride Kinto'un, so why do you not consider him pure?"

"Goku's pure in the fact he's an idiot who loves nothing but fighting," Master Roshi explained.

"How can Goten be pure when he cheats on games?" Trunks asked grouchily.

"I do not!" Goten snapped back.

"Produce the Super Saiyan God or I will destroy Earth right now!" Birus roared over the bickering crowd, silencing them all in an instant.

"… It's just my opinion, although he was evil once, I don't think Vegeta is that way anymore," Dende perked up.

"It's been a long time since he's done anything bad," Krillin agreed.

Corset agreed. It had been some time since their father had done something she'd have considered completely and utterly evil, perhaps even as far back as when she'd been a mere five-year-old child and had tried to kill her and her mother's friends on his first visit to Earth! Sure he'd killed a lot of people on Namek also but that planet seemed to have been the axis on which he'd turned and slowly started showing the good he could do. He'd begrudgingly saved them several times from certain death against their oppressive foes, had even gone so far as to join forces with them for the greater good. Since then, he'd fought with them, had occasionally done something selfish, but had still ended up on their side and not killing them once the battle was won.

"What do they mean?" Soba asked quietly. "What did your dad do exactly?"

"Uh… He used to be much more uncaring and violent as a person," Corset responded fluffing up the exact details. They didn't matter right now, she could always tell him more about her murderer of a father… but when was a good time to tell your boyfriend about your father's checkered past? A voice in her head told her never would be a sensible time to tell him exactly what his potential father-in-law was actually like – not that Corset was suggesting in her mind that she'd marry the man beside her. It still felt too soon to be suggesting something like that!

"Your face is red, you ok?" Gohan asked, startling his friend from her reverie.

"How convenient," Whis broke into their conversation. "It would seem that there are six Saiyans needed to create a Super Saiyan God."

Birus grinned. "There are six of you, are there not? Hurry up and create a Super Saiyan God!"

"Let's give it a try then," Goku nodded. "Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Corset, Vegeta; let's see if this will work."

The group of six Saiyans gathered into a circle, the onlookers gathering around them in an even larger circle. It was as if an unspoken voice had arisen inside the six as they synchronised powering up into Super Saiyans, gathered into the circle and linked hand-in-hand. Corset felt her heart race as a strange sensation came over her body, feeling herself emitting her own strength into Goku. Through the transfer, she heard her father muttering his annoyance at Goku being the one to take the transformation, struggling to stay focused when her mother berated him for his attitude. As the notion to release increased, she felt a warm sensation surround her, noticing a blue light emitting from the others as their own energies travelled into Goku's body. The taller pure-blooded Saiyan's body began to shimmer brightly, absorbing their energies which clumped into a bizarre mass within him, distorting his own life energy until Corset could no longer identify it as being purely his, able to sense him but not detect the strength and magnitude of it. Her body released the last remains of energy and she fell out of her Super Saiyan form, body forcing her back down to the ground.

The glow around Goku was fantasticly surprising. Muscle mass had been reduced, his energy strength undetectable… and his hair and eyes had turned a reddish tint of his usual-styled hair, much unlike any Super Saiyan transformation she'd seen before.

"Has he done it?" Gohan asked uncertain.

"It's weird, I can't even pick up what Goku's power reading is anymore," Krillin mused.

"Congratulations," Whis stepped forward with a small clap, "You have achieved the Super Saiyan God form… and on your first try no less."

So he had done it. They'd all done it, since it had been a team effort after all. Corset was unsettled by what she'd seen Goku become. Something felt bizarrely off about him, it was like there was something blocking them from sensing his ki signal, though his life force was still present. Why was that? She'd never really come across anything like that until today. Just looking at him and knowing he was physically here in all his health, yet being able to sense it was strange.

Goku seemed a little confused. "… Have I really become it?"

"You'll be able to tell once we start fighting," Birus responded, the smile on his face so familiar to those accustomed with cats. "Remember, you have to prove to me that you are stronger than I am. If you do, I won't destroy the Earth."

That seemed as good as any reason to fight, though in Goku's case he didn't normally need a reason to spar with someone. The two were off, soaring over the city and into the distance like a bolt of lightning. Their fight was especially difficult to keep up with as tracing their battle strengths was near on impossible, though Corset could detect the disturbances to the atmosphere close to them. They darted from the east towards the south, several heavy-hitting attacks having been thrown in the transition. Several times she found herself unable to keep track of their movements, only getting indications of their location through the vibrations of the air.

"What's going on? Can you sense them?" Soba asked.

"… No," Corset warily shook her head, noticing the surprised look on his face. She was still coming to terms with the revelation herself. Whatever this Super Saiyan God thing was meant to be, it was incredible. Her interest had been captured but her head told her that if anyone had the chance to use the form successfully, it'd be Goku. Her father would probably disown her if he ever heard her say this.

It was very difficult to keep up with the battle seeing as, one: they had flown out of eyesight, and two: the new ki Goku had acquired made it impossible for them to sense where he was and how he was doing. They were completely in the dark with nothing to tell them what was going on… expect for the occasional shockwave that struck. Corset focused on these, trying to work out what direction they'd come from and the distance it'd travelled.

"What's going on?" Krillin asked frustrated. "Those shockwaves are intense!"

"They can only be coming from Goku and Birus," Piccolo growled. "… They're going to destroy the planet if this keeps up."

This was greeted by several worried gasps. As if fate had a sense of humour, the skies began to dim. The earth below their feet began to shudder gently as another shockwave illuminated the reddening sky. Something was forming to the right of the sun, something glistening brightly. Corset had spotted it (she guessed she wasn't the only one) just as it began to grow in size. Her gut instinct told her that it was not a star even if it resembled one. That could only be an energy attack of some kind. Given the faint hint of purple she could see coming from it, she assumed it was being formed by Birus and not Goku.

The wind violently picked up, slamming hard against the ground as the speck of light began to move. Several bangs went off, the sound of glass breaking barely heard over the terrific howl. She could see people around her shifting; those who were more likely to be able to stand up to the forces shielding the less-able. She herself had grabbed onto Soba's arm to keep him anchored nearby, eyes still peeled to the light above, growing ever bigger and brighter. That was an energy ball and a large one. They may not have been able to detect their lifeforces but she could sense the immense power compressed into that comparably miniscule ball of energy. Piccolo was wrong. Forget the Earth; she was convinced Birus could destroy several galaxies with the power he was wielding.

No wonder he was the God of Destruction.

"Father!" Gohan cried.

The ball of light had stopped its slow descent towards them. Its power was still wreaking havoc on them despite the distance but it had stopped its approach. Uncertain, she took a quick glance to Piccolo, then her father. Neither seemed happy with the development before them but her father seemed far calmer. How he could be calm at a time like this was beyond her but her eyes travelled over to the tall alien with the sceptre. The man – Whis – seemed indifferent if not impressed. _'He'd probably survive even if Birus blew up the planet…'_ She shivered.

The light began to move closer once again, slowing every-so-often as if it were reluctant to approach. What was making it slow down she could only guess at; knowing Goku he was on the receiving end of the energy bomb, stuck between it and the planet below. Again it picked up speed, then came to a halt. The wind grew stronger still, Corset now struggling to stay on her feet. She could feel Soba slip, felt him tug on her arm and felt her centre of balance alter. The two were in free-fall, crashing onto the ground and sliding several metres before Corset regained control, pulling him closer and pinning him to the ground, shielding him from the brunt of the wind. Her back was frozen, her eyes dazzled by bright spots from where she'd been watching the bright lights above them. The ground had turned a hue of purple, light coming from the bright ball above.

Another bang. This one sounded like something had broken through the sound barrier. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the ball looked different. There was a hint of blue.

Of course he would fire a Kamehameha or all things.

The two orbs of light battled, struggled to overcome the other and gain some ground. Neither seemed to be moving but the stalemate had further agitated the atmosphere and dirt below. Cracks had started to form across the concrete, snaking its way across the lawn towards the main building of the complex. Who knew how many new fissures and cracks were forming across the planet with the pressure now being inflicted upon it.

"Goku's losing!" Piccolo hollered. "Brace yourself!"

"Dad can't lose!" Goten protested.

"Come on, Goku!" Krillin cheered.

"Don't you dare let him destroy the planet!" Chichi screamed.

The lights seemed to have reached a pivotal moment. Goku had found that inner strength only he seemed to be able to call upon when the situation was impossible. The purple ball began to retreat, the blue beam of the Kamehameha growing longer and longer with each agonising moment. The break they'd all been waiting for; the purple ball of energy shrank, the Kamehameha hot on its heels until the two vanished. The wind began to calm, the tremors below them coming to a halt.

"Not bad," Whis mused.

"Is everyone alright?" Gohan asked as the group began to get to their feet, daring to relax. Corset clambered off Soba and rose onto her feet, pulling him up once she did so. The two returned back to the main group, Corset's eyes still peeled on the spot the two energy blasts had been spotted in.

More shockwaves struck every-so-often. Apparently they'd gone back to hand-to-hand combat.

"What was that light?" Mr Satan asked.

"Likely Goku and this Birus guy," Krillin answered.

"They could have destroyed my house!" Bulma sneered infuriated. "Goku! You'd better beat this upstart and make him pay for ruining my birthday! God of Destruction or not, it's rude to make a mess of other people's property!"

"Mama, you need to calm down," Trunks consoled her. "Besides, you have the Dragonballs so whatever mess they make, we can fix it."

"I don't think we should be relying on the Dragonballs for such trivial matters," Piccolo growled.

"Trivial?" Bulma repeated indignantly. "Excuse me but it is that trivial building over there where I was able to make the Dragonball Radar! It's a lot easier to repair and maintain that when that trivial building is still standing!"

Goku's battle power suddenly barged rudely into the realms of detectability, startling the others capable of sensing.


	6. 06 - Saved By a Whisker

**Chapter 06 – Saved By A Whisker**

"Did something happen?" Chichi asked anxiously.

"I can sense Goku again," Krillin responded.

"It could be that Goku's lost this Super Saiyan God form," Piccolo gravely suggested. "… Yes, look. He's turned back into a Super Saiyan."

Piccolo was right. Corset could just make out Goku and Birus high above them now, spotting the tell-tale aura of a Super Saiyan growing smaller and smaller. When they'd decided to come down into the atmosphere again, she didn't know. Yet now Goku was heading higher and higher once more and from the looks of things – it was very hard to tell at this distance – Birus was following him.

"What could they be doing way up there?" Krillin pondered.

His question soon came with an unwanted answer. High above them in the furthest reaches of the atmosphere, a gigantic Kamehameha was fired off, rebounding off the more densely packed atmosphere down below and reflecting off into the far reaches of space. From way down here, it looked like a slightly brighter light, heavily concealed by the thickness and richness of Earth's atmosphere. The outward manifestation of ki that followed was a lot harder to miss, even for those with severely limited Earthling eyesight.

"Wh-What is that?" Bulma took a step closer to her partner, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The ki sphere grew and grew, the light from it clashing against the now yellow din of the upper atmosphere. Even with the distance, the wind had worsened, whipping around the now dilapidated garden and threatening to whip the ground from under their feet. Corset braced herself against it, lowering her stance to better her balance. She felt Soba's hands hands latch onto her shoulders. With little more thought, she turned and held herself close to him to better his balance, her short hair still managing to whip him in the eyes. The ground trembled, waves flowing through the mantle as the energy attack high above moved, came towards them.

"Not again!" Corset wailed.

"It's too powerful!" Piccolo hollered, almost a squeak in the deafening howl of the wind.

"Dad!" Goten's voice cried.

Somewhere up there, Goku was struggling. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was struggling to hold that energy away from the planet. This was it, this was their last ditch effort to stop Birus from destroying their planet. It felt much worse now that they could sense the struggle he was facing. He was their last hope, the Super Saiyan who'd defeated Freeza and had overcome the disastrous power of Majin Buu, the man who'd trained his prodigy son to defeat the monstrous Cell. Things always became tough close to the climax of battle, things always seemed to be stacked against them. But Goku always prevailed. He somehow always turned it around, passed that onto Gohan during the finale Kamehameha against Cell. He always found a way to turn the tides against their enemy because of his sheer refusal to give up.

So why was Corset finding it harder and harder to believe in him the more time passed on and the closer that attack came to them? She'd been present at Buu's final defeat; she'd seen just how deperate things had to get before Goku pulled through. So wasn't this just another one of those moments?

"Come on, Dad!" Gohan yelled defiantly. "You can do it!"

' _He can't hear us, not from here…'_ Corset dismissed Gohan's futile attempts to get behind his father and cheer him on.

"This is it, isn't it?" Soba's voice was barely audible over the wind. He sounded pessimistic. Corset read further into his tone and felt it through the way he was holding onto her. One blue eye met his dark orbs, took in the detail of the way his features arched and shaped across his face. A look of defeat. It angered her.

She gripped onto him tighter as the wind grew stronger still. "Don't dare you give up!" She hissed into his ear. Ok, so she'd just made a complete one-eighty in the space of a nanosecond. She wasn't about to let this moron she called her boyfriend give up so easily – or herself for that matter. Mentally apologising to Gohan and cursing this day as the day she chose to listen to her mother and wear a ridiculously inappropriate clothing choice for battle, she turned her eyes back up to the sky and pinned them on the orb still edging closer and closer to them. "Go, Goku!"

It was clear there'd be no way Goku'd be able to hear the cheers of his friends as everyone else shouted out their vote of confidence…

But the energy orb stopped in its tracks. Goku's battle power vanished once more.

Whis made a bizarre noise, heard strangely over the screaming wind.

The energy orb retreated, repelled back into the dark cloak beyond their atmosphere. The air slowly rose, dying down with each second. The ground stopped trembling, steadying under their feet. The eerie silence rang in their ears like an alarm, unsettling and disorientating.

"He repelled Birus' attack," Whis whistled. "… We may have just met the second strongest opponent Birus has ever encountered."

"… That was close," Krillin wiped his brow. "He was really trying to destroy the Earth."

"Of course he was," Vegeta spat. "He is the God of Destruction!"

"So what happens now?" Videl perked up, glancing quickly to Gohan who shrugged his shoulders.

The relief vanished as Goku's form was seen plummeting towards them. A shriek from Chichi and a horrified cry from Master Roshi set the mood off; Gohan dashed up to meet his father mid-flight down, catching onto him and lowering him to the ground at a much safer velocity. Naturally the others crowded, all eyes taking in the damage their fallen fighter had sustained and just how tired he was, beads of sweat dotting the span of his body.

"Dad, are you ok?" Gohan asked, still holding his father. "Quick, Dende!"

Birus stood before them between Dende and the others, eyes still upon Goku. "There's no point. Your Super Saiyan God has admitted defeat. Reviving him would not give him the required additional strength to defeat me, even with that weird Saiyan characteristic of becoming stronger after a near-death experience."

' _How did he know about that?'_ Corset bit her lip.

Birus' hand reached out, splayed out before him. "I will now fuifill my part of the promise and destroy Earth now."

The few seconds that it took for Birus to charge up an energy sphere felt the longest any of the witnesses had experienced. Corset clasped tighter onto Soba, one hand latching onto her mother's arm. She could feel the Earthling shaking under her touch. It was awful knowing just how helpless the situation was, feeling her own mother's terror, knowing that these were the last few moments she would share with her family and friends before this senseless god turned them all to dust – smaller than atoms, reduced to nothing but history. The group were left into their own smaller circles as the light grew brighter and brighter. She felt her mother shuffle a little closer to her father, felt Trunks nudge against her leg closer towards their parents, felt her heart thumping wildly in her ribs as many thoughts and regrets whizzed through her mind. Things she should have done, could have changed, things she should have done better. Things she should have said. Was it too late to say these things? The more she'd ponder over it, the less time they'd have. Chancing was all she had. She forced the words out in one hurried rush: "I love you Soba and I'm sorry." There, she'd had enough time. She felt his torso shift slightly, felt his eyes on her. He'd either seen her lips move and not picked up her message, or he'd heard her and seemed to be in a state of bewilderment. Really, was he really that surprised?

The light flickered: the energy ball was fired.

A rock erupted under the pressure and strength of the attack.

Then, nothing. Nothing but the sight of a rock that was now a dark mass of particles. The immediate inch of ground around it was burnt from the attack's force. Beyond that, the colour of the ground lay untouched, the blades of grass remained as green as before, the sky still its brilliantly excitable blue, the clouds drifting aimlessly across it as if they had all the time in the world.

Why? Had the attack not been as strong as he'd intended it to be? Now it was Corset's turn to feel bewildered -and she knew she was not the only one.

Birus' eyes had closed. A strange noise was coming from him. Snoring?

"It would appear that Birus has run out of stamina," Whis nonchalantly spoke. "It seems as though your planet will remain as it is until he wakes." He took a couple of steps forward and tapped the ground with his scepter. A strange orb engulfed him and Birus, encapsulating them both. A small smile now crossing his effeminate features, his eyes fell over the bewildered crowd. "Perhaps I shall get to taste the delights of your planet's cuisine again after all!"

"Next time, I won't lose," Goku declared, voice still weak. Dende chanced rushing past the two visitors, successfully doing so and began to immediately heal Goku.

And so, the God of Destruction and his mentor left Earth intact, leaving the vast majority of residents blissfully unaware of how close they'd come to extinction… and a small pocket of inhabitants recovering from their close encounter with death.

Of course, one certain Saiyan managed to step a little closer to death than the rest of the group.

"That was some power you had there, Vegeta," Goku beamed impressed. The gang were now salvaging what was left of Bulma's garden furniture alongside the many ruined pieces of prizes. Goku effortlessly picked up what could only be assumed to have been a part of the castle turret's wall, glancing around for a spot to leave it and quickly giving up. His interest in his rival's power had not gone unnoticed by the shorter Saiyan whose cheeks had gone a peculiar shade of crimson.

Bulma had picked up on the conversation, "What do you mean?"

"You know, when Birus knocked you down and Vegeta defended you," Goku explained. "What was it you said? Something like 'That's my Bulma'!"

Corset was torn between staying put to see how her father dealt with this embarrassing revelation and fleeing the scene. Goku wasn't just playing with fire here, it was an inferno! _'Come to think of it, he really did get mad…'_ It brought back memories of events that'd occurred four years previously. That fateful day, that tournament that'd brought the introduction of Buu and Babidi to Earth… and the way her father'd betrayed them. It still left a hollow patch of resentment in the pit of her stomach. He'd seemed so foolishly determined to break free from them, yet today he'd gone berserk when her mother had been attacked.

He could deny it all he wanted to now because everyone knew how he really felt. He'd made that painfully clear today, much to his annoyance.

"I don't remember saying anything!" Vegeta spat indignantly.

"I felt so loved!" Bulma cooed, clinging onto her partner's arm and derailing his protests further.

"Out of curiosity, how do you know about that?" Krillin asked. "You weren't here."

Goku looked over. "… I sensed it." He responded calmly. Corset was almost sure she could see beads of sweat forming on his brow.

"You even quoted what Vegeta shouted," Krillin wasn't going to let this go easily.

Now she could sense the annoyance in his voice. She knew why it was there. Her own anger flared upon the realisation. "… You mean?"

"Goku, you were here, weren't you?" Chichi growled.

No response. The taller Saiyan did nothing for the first few seconds before breaking into an awkward chuckle and rubbing the back of his head. "… I wanted to see how you guys handled him and what Birus' technique was like!"

A hard slap to the back of his head sent the Saiyan stumbling over a couple of steps, Bulma's hand having made contact. "You mean you let me get involved and let him hit me? What kind of friend are you? Who lets a thirty-eight-year-old woman get attacked on her own birthday?"

' _You're not fooling anyone with that number, Mama,'_ Corset sighed internally. _'Everyone knows you are not sixteen years older than me!'_

"Kakarrot, you idiot!" Vegeta snapped, reddening cheeks now calming down. "You must have known he was going to destroy Earth at any moment yet you still let things go on for as long as they did?"

"Well it was clearly worth it," Goku grinned, earning the blush back on his rival's face.

"Exactly what would you have done if he had destroyed the Earth whilst you were hiding?" Piccolo grumbled.

"Our lives were in danger and you were sneaking about?" Chichi protested.

Another awkward chuckle from the Saiyan. "Well, I wanted to try and scout Birus out and work out a strategy to beat him… but it didn't help. If anything, I think I've got a solution to the next time someone attacks Earth. Just let Bulma be hit and then it's problem solved!"

"Goku!" Corset snapped. "She could have died from that hit!"

"Slap him again," Vegeta ordered.

"With pleasure!" Bulma wound her arm back.


	7. 07 - Breaking Point

**Chapter 06 – Breaking Point**

Age 778, September 6th

Corset was face-down again. Sat slumped in her chair, head resting on her desk, she was listening to the lecture notes that'd been recorded a few years back. She was stuck on what to do, stuck on trying to concentrate and now stuck trying to stay awake. Perhaps digging out lecture notes hadn't been the best idea but it made her feel as if she were still working and in all honesty, she'd been surprised and impressed to find she still had them. The large pile of notes felt as if they'd been mounting up no matter how much she got through. Her laptop was broken because she'd lost her temper and now lay crumpled on the desk.

She needed a break.

She needed a break from life. Last night she'd come home and had unwittingly walked into a blazing row between Soba and his brother (via the phone), had completely misinterpreted what the fight was about and had then argued with Soba. It was a stupid argument but they'd been having lots of stupid arguments lately and it was draining them both. Corset was dreading the end of the day because it meant going back home to the place they argued. Then there was the time of day she wasn't at home. She dreaded coming into work because she was always met with high expectations, unreasonable working hours and a father who constantly demanded he spar with her on her lunch breaks. She had a brother who was so bored, he caused havoc in the labs for the staff, of which Corset usually had to sort out because their mother was away at a conference or in a meeting or doing something important.

"Miss Brief?"

Corset's head rocketed up from the wooden support, eyes meeting those of her PA.

She had no idea what her PA was saying because something else had caught her attention, something far across the other end of the planet. The sky outside had darkened mysteriously. It was now she noticed that her PA had stopped talking about work and had headed over towards the window.

"Looks like a storm's coming," The woman mused. "How annoying. They'd said it was meant to be clear all day! I don't even have my umbrella with me!"

Corset rose from her chair, eyes still pinned to the window and the darkened skies beyond. That was no normal storm cloud. _'Someone's called Shenron…'_

* * *

"Yeah, we noticed it too," Gohan nodded, typing away whilst keeping his conversation open on a different window on his laptop. "Weird, huh? I thought it was you guys."

" _Why would we wanna call Shenron?"_ Corset asked, her face small on the screen as it sat alongside the opened window Gohan was currently typing onto. _"… Do you think I can't hear you typing away? What's got you so distracted?"_

"I've got a new research project idea that I need to put to the committee next week and I'm only half way through," Gohan answered, deliberately slowing and quietening his typing. "I'm surprised you're not working away yourself. Don't you have an important board meeting to chair tomorrow?"

" _Don't remind me,"_ Corset frowned. _"How are you and Videl holding up, by the way? Has she had any scans yet?"_

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "… What are you talking about?"

Corset bit her lip. _'…Ah crap!_ ' Apparently she'd assumed wrong and had just said too much. On her side of the conversation, she leant back in her chair and took in a small breath. So Gohan didn't know who'd summoned Shenron, it turned out. This worried her further.

"Hello? Stop ignoring me and tell me what you're talking about." Gohan insisted.

Videl was going to kill her. Without saying a word, Corset slowly reached forward and closed the lid of her back-up laptop much to Gohan's protesting voice. _'Nothing to see here.'_ She reached into one of the many drawers her desk held and pulled out her phone, pressing away to bring up a text:

" _I messed up big time. Why does your husband not know yet? Please don't kill me."_

Send button selected and pressed. Her phone was slipped back into its drawer but not before it began vibrating violently. Corset dared to look at the number on her screen before hurriedly shoving the device into her drawer, listening to it bounce about like a furious hornet. Gohan could ring all he wanted, she wasn't going to dig herself any further into this hole!

It figured after all. They'd gotten married a few years back, so it was only natural they'd be moving onto bigger things that would undoubtedly turn their lives upside down. Videl had zilch experience dealing with the pitter-patter of tiny limbs as far as she was aware. Gohan'd become a brother at the age of eleven and had done his fair share of helping to raise Goten, having recently been deprived of their father. Still, there'd be a large difference between what he'd done for his brother compared to what he'd have to do within the next year.

As happy as she should have felt for the two of them, it didn't leave a good feeling in her stomach. Reflecting and comparing what they had to what she had with Soba…

Thinking about it was too worrying. Gohan and Videl seemed to still be in the grossly-enamoured-with-one-another stage, despite having been together for longer. On the other hand, Corset could only conclude she and Soba had long sailed away from that phase and were now in the grating-on-one-another's-shattered-nerves stage. It wasn't pleasant. It wasn't nice. She was sure it wasn't true but all she could recall of their conversations recently was the two of them arguing over something. She dreaded going back home to him because she was certain it'd just be them walking on egg shells around one another. How long could it go on for? How long would the two of them continue this before one of them decided enough was enough? Had they already passed the point of no return?

Crap. She was getting too worked up. Corset shook her head and hurriedly wiped a thumb over her eyes. She focused on the monotonous buzzing in her drawer as once more, Gohan failed to get in contact with her.

* * *

"It wasn't you guys?" Krillin raised an eyebrow, sipping at his drink before placing it down on the table. "Then who was it?"

"No one seems to know the answer to that," Gohan answered.

Krillin looked at the young man for a moment before continuing. "… You look tired. You ok?"

"It's nothing, just work," Gohan responded. It was partly true. He joined his father's childhood friend around the table, appreciating the smells surrounding them. The glorious smells of food – and the best kind because it was his mother's cooking! (Videl could protest all she wanted, Gohan refused to answer her on whose cooking was better. That competitive streak in his wife was like playing with fire.) The scholar took a sip of his water before continuing. "So Corset reckons it wasn't her or her mother, Goten told me he and Trunks haven't been looking for the Dragonballs recently… and now it's not you. We're running out of people to ask."

"You're telling me," Krillin chuckled.

"There's little use on worrying over it," Chichi interrupted. "It's not going to change the fact that Shenron was summoned. So far, nothing bad has happened."

"True," Gohan agreed. Still, it didn't sit right in his stomach. Who else knew of the existence of the Dragonballs?

"Couldn't it have been the kids or something?" Krillin asked.

"It's possible," Gohan replied, leaning back on his chair. He didn't have any recollection of Goten or Trunks mentioning wanting to call Shenron out. Then again, who said they'd run it past him? They'd been up to a lot recently without telling anyone what they were doing. It was an age thing, Gohan had told himself. He and Corset had been the same way at their age. Speaking of Corset, he still hadn't managed to grab hold of her since this afternoon. Her behaviour had been very strange. The mere mention of a scan had dumbfounded the older Son sibling; had Videl injured herself or something? She didn't work out as much as she used to and barely visited her father's dojo, so it seemed unrealistic that she'd gained an injury from training. Then again, maybe she was keeping secret adventures away from him too?

* * *

Age 778, September 15th

Again her phone rang. Corset cautiously opened her drawer, asking herself how she'd forgotten to take her phone home with her, pulling the device out from under the clutter and checking the name. Videl's name was flashing on the screen. With a groan, Corset clicked the accept option and brought the phone to the side of her head. "Hi Videl." Here it was, the moment in her life that would mark the start of her untimely demise.

" _He knows now."_ Videl cut to the chase.

It took a moment for her words to sink in, Corset's eyes widening when it clicked. "Oh. How did he handle it?"

" _Bizarrely well… I thought I'd wait for his meeting to pass before I broke the news to him."_ Videl answered chirpily. _"From the sounds of it, he reckons it went well. We'll see how it goes."_

"I still can't believe you guys are gonna be parents," Corset mused, a frown forming on her face. Videl and Gohan seemed perfect for one another; everything good seemed to be going for them. That thought had been turning in her head on a constant loop. It sucked that she couldn't say the same for her and Soba, things had been getting worse and worse between them. Late hours and demanding jobs were further tearing apart the time they spent together and in the little time they had, they were both ratty and tired. A lump formed in her throat the more she thought about it.

Her day didn't get much better either.

Exhausted by the time she arrived home, Corset trundled straight up to bed and promptly fell asleep. She didn't care that it was only eight in the evening, that'd never stopped her from going to sleep early in the past.

Just what was her life becoming? Thoughts passed through her mind as she slept, visions of unpleasant events taking place which soon came to a head as something literally shocked her awake. Bolting up from her position, it took Corset a moment to notice the sound of footsteps downstairs. Then the usual cursing resumed. Something about the mess that'd been left on the side in the study.

Corset cringed. She'd been working in there the other day and had been too tired to tidy up the papers spewed across the large desk. Normally she remembered to clear up after herself… With a long sigh she rolled off the bed and made her way downstairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Why is this still sitting here?" Soba asked the moment she appeared around the door. "I thought you were going to tidy it up the other day!"

' _Someone's grouchy today,'_ Corset raised a sleepy eyebrow. "I'll do it now." She passed him without another word and began to shuffle through the papers, ignoring his grumblings. Did he think she couldn't hear him or something? "How was work?" It'd been a while since either of them had asked the other about their day and for good reason. Tiring, exhausting and stressful were their most favourite adjectives.

"Exhausting," Soba answered leaving the room.

Apparently conversation was not one of the things they did anymore. Corset sighed. What was the point of living with someone if you weren't gonna talk or do anything other than complain together? It hadn't been the first time the thought had gone through her mind. Focussing back on her task at hand, she quickly became discouraged when she realised just how unorganised the work was. _'Great.'_ She'd have to sort through it to get everything back in order or her mother would kill her. Begrudgingly she set to work.

It took three hours in the end before she gave up and by that time, it was closing in on one in the morning.

She felt too miserable to head upstairs, so Corset snuck into the living room and ended up sleeping on the sofa, grabbing a blanket and reorganising the cushions to make it more comfortable. As she lay her head down in the dark, she couldn't stop the voice of doubts going through her mind. Again Gohan and Videl featured heavily with their perfect relationship, their co-operation and their lack of arguments (because they never really argued properly in Corset's book, just over small things. Then they'd resolve them quickly. Damn them.) She compared it to her's and Soba's relationship. They argued over trivial things, mostly to do with their work hours and lack of time to do jobs at home – something both of them had agreed to take on before they moved in together. Their relationship had taken a pummelling since the move-in, both too tired to keep the house running and to keep their friendship going.

The lump was returning again. Corset stifled a sniff the more she thought about it.

Maybe it would be better if she moved back home? It would mean she wouldn't have to spend so much time away from home because technically-speaking, she'd be home all the time. It would also mean more bearable company and more time to train and take her mind off of things. She wouldn't have to come home to someone who was just as drained as she was… and all things considered, Corset considered her to have the better temper and tolerance out of the two of them. She'd continue to contribute to paying for the house but would just spend less time living in it…

The only other option was to try and cut back the number of hours she worked. Not only would it mean less money coming in, it would also be seen as a sign by her mother that she wanted to leave or not continue on the company. As much as she hated the job at times, Corset found it to be very exhilarating leading others into decisions and dictating what was the best course of action. Sure she wasn't as competent when it came to actually fixing faulty equipment but it did give her an outlet to take out any pent-up frustration she had from work or home. Plus she'd really come to appreciate all the hard work her mother had done during Corset's upbringing and was proud of how accomplished her mother was. Cutting down hours was not really an option, not one she felt she could take.

And so thoughts came back to housing and their situation. Soba was doing well for himself and was now effectively running one of his father's Zuru-Zuru restaurants in the centre of Shore City, having been recently promoted to head chef. The problem was, living with a chef meant living with someone who was barely home and finally home at unsocial hours of the day. Neither of them had forgiving jobs when it came to spending time at home.

"Any reason you're down here?"

Corset looked over the top of the sofa to see Soba leaning over it, both still in the pitch dark. She hadn't heard him come down, nor had she realised her left eye was leaking. She hoped he couldn't see it. Why was she down here anyway? She'd been too tired to climb up the stairs but that seemed like a stupid reason to her. Something else had kept her from coming up into their bed and she knew what it was, just didn't want to voice it. It would hurt him, she knew it would, to admit that she was finding it less and less appealing recently being around him. He was always tired when he got home, always complaining about something, not really asking her about her own day. His job was stressful she knew, but so was hers.

"Whatever," He grunted, slouching his way into the kitchen and pouring himself a cold glass of water.

She couldn't bring it up, not now. Not while he was as grumpy as he was. Then again, when was he not grumpy? Corset rashly wiped away the loose water that'd leaked from her eye and built up her courage. Annoyingly she still found herself unable to speak when he passed her again on the way back to the stairs. Instead, he spoke.

"You still not coming up?"

She didn't want to hide her feelings from him so it seemed stupid to send herself up to bed with him whilst struggling to get a grip on herself.

Apparently Soba, through no fault of his own, was not a mind reader. His response was a pure, raw "Fine." Then he was gone, back up to the dark rooms above.

When she next woke, at the paling of the light outside, he was already gone.


	8. 08 - Pivotal Points

**AN:** Honestly I'd forgotten I had a few more chapters before the next saga.

-LilDBZBuddy89

* * *

 **Chapter 08 – Pivotal Points**

"You look like you've seen better days," Videl frowned.

"I've seen worse," Corset mumbled in response, sipping on her coffee, drawing out a long sigh afterwards and staring at the contents of her cup. "… I've been dead before. That was worse than this… Although death comes with a lack of feelings and having to deal with them."

Videl smiled and put her water down. "Good to know your sense of humour is still there." She placed a tentative hand on her friend's shoulder. "We're here if you need us."

"Thanks," Corset wearily smiled back. "So, how's baby treating you?"

"She's doing well," Videl responded, removing her hand from Corset's shoulder and placing it on her stomach. "Gohan was ecstatic when he felt her kick the other day. He seems to be labouring under the impression that we've got another fighter in the family from the strength of it."

"Makes sense, since both of you come from families with fighting in the blood," Corset mused, taking another sip of coffee. She sighed again and rested her chin in her palm. "… Looks like you two have it all sorted out…"

Videl knew what was coming. "Hey, it'll work out for you too, in time."

"How long do I have to wait?" Corset groaned. "Given that my job takes up all of my day and my night is spent sleeping trying to recover from the sheer boredom and stress of the day… and now I have no Soba. I took a step back…"

"…Are you sure things are actually over between you both?" Videl asked, unsure of what else to say. She couldn't say things would be fine in the end… again.

"I haven't seen him or heard from him in two weeks," Corset replied miserably.

"And have you been home?" Videl inquired.

Corset remained quiet for a while. At last she spoke, "… Depends what you mean by home."

Videl rolled her eyes, "He could be there for all you know, wondering the same thing. You two need to talk it through face-to-face. You won't know if you keep avoiding him or places he might be!"

A loud clatter came from the kitchen catching both women's attention. Videl sighed and got gingerly to her feet. "Gohan, do you need any help?"

"I've got it under control!" Gohan responded. "You should be resting, remember."

With little thought, Videl sat herself back down on the sofa and giggled quietly to herself. "He's been doing a lot more of the housework since he found out he was going to become a father. The other night he even cooked us dinner. He's getting there."

"Was it over an open fire or actually using the cooker?" Corset asked.

Gohan's head turned away from the food preparation that was currently taking his attention away from his friend's visit. "The cooker. It would probably have tasted much better though if we'd had an open flame though. You used to say it tasted good when we were younger."

"Yeah well that was because Piccolo had forbidden us to go home so we had no choice…" Corset responded. "Although it was much better than eating it raw. You could do a decent barbecue."

"… Remind me how old you two were again?" Videl asked.

"Four," Gohan and Corset chimed in.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Corset gasped, having found some kind of second wind. "What are you gonna do about your classes, Videl? You still teach the up-and-coming at your dad's dojo, right?"

"We're still in the middle of sorting out cover," Videl explained. "Dad can't cover the lessons himself which has left a lot of the parents of my pupils outraged that someone not of the family is going to be teaching their kids. Dad has tried to reassure people it'll be one of his own students but they don't seem to want to listen… Some of them can be a handle if you know what I mean." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "It can't be helped; I can't teach their children whilst someone is giving my insides a workout! I have promised parents that I'd be there to watch their little ones in the national championships next week."

"I did offer to take her place…" Gohan interjected.

Videl snorted. "I maybe pregnant with our baby but I am not becoming housebound. Besides, I'll be sitting all the way through it and no doubt Dad will have organised unnecessary support for me whilst I'm out. You know what he's like. Since the two of these guys found out they've been treating me like I'm glass and the world is a big bulldozer trying to get a hit in!"

"You can understand though, right?" Gohan wandered towards them, a worried expression on his face. "Last week we visited the kids at the dojo to tell them and one of them tried to trip her!"

"That was before they knew," Videl quickly explained. "He was testing me on how I'd anticipate a surprise attack from below. It's one of Dad's philosophies at the dojo; always expect an unexpected attack."

"Their mother was furious with them once Videl informed them of the news," Gohan flinched at the memory. "She was very apologetic though."

"I can see why," Corset mused. "Did he manage to trip you up?"

"No," Videl shook her head. "He has a bad habit of trying it every lesson so I've come to expect it of him."

"I hope your father finds someone to replace you soon," Gohan frowned. "I don't want you getting hurt whilst you're still waiting to hand your classes over."

* * *

She'd taken the long route home. The long route involved heading back to her parent's home and bunking down for the night. Corset didn't feel like heading back to the building she and Soba shared, there were too many memories and too many things that could trigger her. In any case, perhaps distracting her with some work would help. It was a distraction Corset had never considered she'd use…

They had a visitor.

Whis was with her mother. The two were chatting at one of the patio tables within the external garden, tucking into some eastern delicacies. With each gulp Whis' shrill exclamations made Corset's ears ring. How over-the-top could his reactions get, she wondered.

"Oh, you're visiting are you?" Bulma asked, spotting her eldest making her way towards them. "Not that I'm trying to get rid of you but are you spending the night over again, or are you going home?"

Corset felt something in her break. Her mother was referring to that building of sadness as her daughter's home. Sure she'd moved out but it didn't feel safe and welcoming like a home should have. Now it was just some building with too much history attached to it. Home was her childhood home in her mind. Her mother didn't hide the annoyance in her voice well either.

"This is delicious!" Whis shrieked, a bizarre smile spread across his face. "The texture, so crispy at first until the contents spill out and melt on the tongue! How wonderful!"

"You're treating Whis again?" Corset asked, dragging a chair over and sitting down beside her mother.

Bulma nodded, "Of course. We can't have Birus deciding to destroy the Earth now, can we? This way Whis is on our side."

"We'll see when that happens," Whis picked up another dim sum with his chopsticks and devoured it in one bite. "Oooh! It's delicious!"

Neither Bulma nor Corset looked amused but something quickly snatched the younger woman's attention away from Whis' chilling words. Glancing up to the sky, she spotted the incoming flight and tracked it as her father descended from the skies, landing the other side of the building. He was a sight for sore eyes bizzarely. Another reminder of what life was like before Soba, Corset concluded. Years of being dragged out of bed at ridiculous hours to train before heading to school and getting through the day only to rush home, rush the homework and endure more hours of training with a father who saw education as an excuse not to train.

"What's wrong?" Bulma asked. "You look worried."

"Dad's home," Corset responded.

Bulma shuffled uncomfortably in her seat, apparently torn between going to see Vegeta and continuing to be an attentive host to Whis. Corset took the hint and with a downtrodden sigh, rose from her seat and excused herself. It didn't take long for her to venture around the perimeter of the building and find her father making himself a drink from the outside tap. "You're back earlier than expected," She greeted him. "Did the training go well?"

Her father tore himself away from his drink for long enough to pass on a sneer. Corset crinkled her nose and took a step back. No thought of showering or finding a lake or waterfall whilst training then, she concluded. "Mama's going to be mad when she gets a whiff and look of you. That armour's not gonna be easy to clean, you know."

"I don't care." Came the expected response. He took another small sip before turning the tap off and began to wander off back in the direction of Bulma and Whis. Corset wasn't sure if this was a good or bad idea but something inside made her panic. "Mama's in that direction. You'd be better off sneaking in through the front entrance to the building and getting into the gravity chamber that way."

"Like I said, I don't care," Vegeta grunted. "And by that I mean I don't care what your mother thinks. I'll walk in any way I want."

Corset pouted. "Fine but you should know Whis is also in that direction and I doubt he'll take kindly to you if you stop Mama from sharing Earthling food with him!"

That last point caught her father in his tracks, much to her surprise. "Wh-Whis is here?" He stammered.

"Yup, has been over a few times since you left for training," Corset nodded.

That did not have the desired effect. Her father was supposed to take her advice and avoid being seen. Instead, he seemed in even more a rush to head in that direction! "W-Wait!" Corset cried, not entirely sure why she'd started to run after him. It was no use; her father had taken one huge leap over the top of the building. No doubt he would have seen the two settled at one of the picnic tables and no doubt the two would have spotted him and his dramatic entrance. What was the use? Corset mimicked her father and leapt clean over the top of the building, descending and landing a few feet away from their audience. Vegeta was making his way over to them.

"You're back earlier than expected," Bulma spoke. "You should have told me you were coming home!" Her eyes had scanned over the armour she knew would be passed to her at some point. "You know that every time you return home all filthy like that, you dirty the whole house! Last time you came home like that, you even ruined the dress I'd made!"

And as expected, her father showed no outward signs of caring. Instead of making his way over to his wife's side of the table, he instead approached Whis. It was enough to get Bulma up on her feet.

"What's with that attitude? I'm talking to you!" She snapped. "Were you raised by wolves or something? You finally come home and this is the way you're going to behave?"

"So it's true then," Vegeta muttered, eyes still on the pale blue skinned man opposite him. "What are you doing on Earth?"

Whis showed no outward signs of annoyance but Corset had a feeling building in the pit of her stomach that things were about to get tense.

"It's been a while, Vegeta," Whis rose to his feet, taking his sceptre from the side of the table. "I simply came to share a meal with Bulma."

Her father seemed unsettled and Corset couldn't blame him, although she had already answered that question herself a few moments ago. Her mother stepped in, "It turns out that the two of us get along well. Whis stops by now and again to hang out."

"Bulma always treats me to delicious cooking," Whis added. "Earth certainly is full of tasty treats. It will be a great loss if and when Birus decides to destroy this planet."

"Remember, it's because of me that you get to taste these delicious treats," Bulma was quick off the mark.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Vegeta barked.

Bulma glared back at him. "How could we when all you do is leave us to go training? If you're not here then tough! Anyway, why are you getting so upset about this? Is it because another man is spending time with your beautiful wife?"

"I don't care about that!" Vegeta snapped back.

' _Their egos are too much,'_ Corset mumbled dismayed.

"What do you mean you don't care?" Bulma's voice became bristly.

"Where is Birus?" Vegeta asked, ignoring the death eyes coming from his left. "I want to challenge him!"

And that was her cue to intervene. "Birus is sleeping, right?" Corset asked. "You won't get to fight him at his best if you go barging in on him back on his home planet and demand a match with him! Why don't you wait until he's fully recovered and at his best so you can really test yourself?"

Whis chuckled. "Indeed he is resting. He never wakes in a good mood if you wake him before he is ready."

"Hold on one moment," Bulma huddled far closer to the Saiyan and continued in a whisper. "If you try to fight and inevitably irritate Birus then what's going to stop him from destroying the Earth? Who's going to protect me and Trunks? Not even Goku was able to last long against him so what chance do you have?"

"Mama's right," Corset agreed. "I'm not saying I can't sense an improvement because I can but… he would probably still kill you and then kill us all – and I doubt Goku could save us from your blunder!"

Vegeta sneered at them both. If this conversation had taken place a few years previously, Corset would have had no doubt in her mind that he would have killed them both there and then. However, the past few years – especially those after Majin Buu – had watered down her father's fiery temper and prickly pride. He seemed better at restraining himself. If it came down to it, she'd make sure her mother lived longer than her!

"You two hit where it hurts," He grumbled quietly.

"Just leave it to me," Bulma consoled. "If I can continue to gain Whis' appreciation and gratitude then it might be possible for us to sway him and stop Birus from destroying the Earth." She took a step away and turned her attention back to Whis. "Sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go back."

"I'm looking forward to the dessert you've ordered me," Whis smiled, following the blue-haired woman.

Corset could sense the annoyance radiating from her father but spoke up anyway. "Mama's right. She's got a far better chance getting Whis on-side… and this way it means we get all the numbers of the good restaurants within a fifty-mile radius. Everyone wins."

Vegeta wasn't done. "… Who are you?" he asked through gritted teeth. "There's no way you are just Birus' servant!"

"Did I not tell you?" Whis inquired. "I am Birus' teacher."

' _His teacher?'_ Corset's eyes widened.

"You taught Birus?" Bulma asked stunned. "… So, does that mean you're stronger than him?"

"I wonder…" Whis chuckled. "Vegeta, let me give you some advice… You've been training, haven't you? Your power has increased as a result of this training… but no matter how much you keep on training the way you do, you will never defeat Birus, not by training the way you do. Not unless you learn how to control your ki."

' _Control his ki? But…'_ Corset was bewildered. _'… Dad learnt how to control his ki back on Namek. He picked it up from us… So what does he mean by that?'_

"If you can manage that," Whis continued. "You might be able to surpass that other Saiyan. 'Son Goku', was it?"

"It won't be an easy task…" Whis mused.

"W-Wait!" Vegeta stammered. "… Can you teach me how to control my ki in the way you are suggesting?" When he received no answer, only a pitiful stare, Vegeta lowered himself down onto one knee, bowing his head and further flummoxing everyone else around them. "Please… train me."

"… Alright," Whis responded, "-but only if you become a God of Destruction."

Vegeta's head shot up in fury. He watched as Bulma and Whis left the table, resigned to venomous invisible eye-beams as Bulma continued to talk about the rest of the desserts there were for Whis to try. Something seemed to trigger off in her dad's mind which worried her. He was now looking at her with wild eyes. "Th-That's it! If food is the way to get favours from people here then so be it!" And with that he took off into the skies in a hurry, leaving a startled and confused Corset on her own.

' _What the hell was that about?'_ She pondered. After a moment of unsuccessful reason-finding, Corset decided to make her way into the building. Perhaps it was still roaming around her from the events that'd just taken place but she couldn't shake off that dreaded feeling that something terrifying was going to happen.

Entering the building, she made her way through the complex building, easily finding her way up to the living quarters and settling herself down in front of the television. A little daytime tv couldn't hurt, she figured. Flicking through the channels, she passed through documentaries, chat shows and re-runs of old television shows, unable to find something that caught her eye enough. Television these days seemed to be full of rubbish; over five-hundred channels of rubbish to be more precise.

"Hey," Came a familiar voice.

"Hey Trunks," Corset greeted her younger brother as the tween sat down beside her.

"Can we watch something good?" He asked, wrinkling his nose at some of the channels she was hopping through. "How about checking what movies are on? It's nearly Hallowe'en so all the scary movies will be on right now!"

Corset snorted. "Mama may not be here right now but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore the fact you're only twelve and let you watch movies you're not old enough to watch!"

Trunks crossed his arms indignantly. "Man, you're no fun at all. I'm supposed to be the cool kid at school, remember? So as cool kid, I have to be watching whatever I want!"

"Tough," Corset responded. "That's one thing that can be uncool about you." She dodged the swinging fist that was meant for her head and rose out her seat, feeling her hip start to vibrate. On second thoughts, it was her phone. Corset glanced at the caller ID and grimaced. She almost didn't pick up. "… Hey."

" _Why the hell is your Dad in our kitchen?"_ Came Soba's panicked voice. In the background, it sounded like pots were being smacked together with the occasional holler.

"He's what?" Corset's eyebrows raised. "Are you serious?"

" _No, I just called about nothing!"_ Came Soba's seething sarcastic response. _"Of course he's here – and he sounds pretty mad!"_

" _Where is he?"_ Came her father's shouts down the phone. Soba wasn't lying; that was her father's angry voice, loud and clear.

"Put me on the phone with him," Corset instructed, baffled as to why her father was there of all places. Surely if he was trying to get Birus to fight him, stuffing his face wasn't the way to get stronger? She was surprised he even knew where Soba worked!

A scream came from the background, closely joined by another. Corset could hear Soba walking down the gantry, _"Mr Vegeta, sir, you can't come back here. It's dangerous! Stop scaring the grill chef and talk to your dau-"_

There was a smack. There was the sound of several shrieks accompanied by a heavy thud. And then the line went dead.


	9. 09 - An Unexpected Request

**Chapter 09 – An Unexpected Request**

"Maybe Dad killed them all," Trunks suggested, watching his sister anxiously pace the floor. The look she returned him was priceless and he struggled not to laugh as he spoke, "I'm kidding! You know Dad would never kill the guy who hurt his daughter's feelings!"

"Hey, we have not broken up!" Corset snapped loudly. "We're… just going through a rough phase. That's all."

"Rough phase as in 'we don't speak or live together anymore and are going to pretend the other doesn't exist?'" Trunks raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Sis, I may only be twelve but even I know your relationship is dead."

That hurt. She would have punched him at any other time but right now, Corset was far more focussed on finding Soba's ki signal just to reassure herself he was in fact alive. Even though she and Trunks had recently concluded from overwhelming evidence that if someone hurt any one of their family greatly, their father would rip them to shreds, something didn't quite add up with Trunks' theory. "… He can't have gone to kill Soba. He doesn't even know that Soba and I aren't on good terms."

Trunks shrugged his shoulders. "We heard screaming on the phone. If that's not Dad killing them then I don't know what happened. Now are you happy? We're now back to not knowing rather than having a reason to explain it!"

"Shup up a minute," Corset ordered, pressing the call button once again and holding the phone to her ear. The ring barely registered over the blood pounding in her ear and with each passing ring, her heart sank. Still no answer. This was the third time now within the space of ten minutes and he still wasn't picking up and she had no idea why or what'd happened. Another ring passed before she hit the button cutting the call off before sinking into the sofa.

"Let's think this through," Trunks sat beside her. "Why would Dad go to find Soba? What other reasons would there be? Now Soba works at a restaurant so maybe it's to do with food? Dad's been away training for a while so maybe he was hungry?"

Corset absorbed this information. "… No, I don't think he was hungry. He came back home first before leaving and during that time, he had a drink of water."

Trunks snorted. "Having a drink is not the same as eating a meal. When has Dad ever replaced water with a proper plate of food?"

Corset glared at him in annoyance. "I'm telling you what I saw him do! Stop being such an unhelpful ass!"

"Scathing insult by the way," Trunks retorted.

"Proving my point," Corset growled. "Now be helpful and help me work out why Dad would go and find Soba whilst he's at wo-" She gasped, spine bolt upright. "Of course! Oh man, that idiot! He's going to interfere with Mama's plans and get us all blown up!"

"What are you-?" Trunks started.

"Whis is here again and Mama's treating him to the variety of good foods on Earth!" Corset cut him off, launching to her feet and bounding out of the room out onto the balcony. Her irritated brother chased after her, leaping from the building and following his sister onto the grounds, landing effortlessly on the grass.

"Damn it!" Corset bellowed, fists clenched at her hips.

Trunks looked in the direction she was staring at, instantly spotting their father on his approach. Something was wrong with his left shoulder – no, scratch that, something was _on_ his left shoulder. It dawned on the tween what he was seeing and a well of excitement built up in his chest. "I don't get it but this is not going to disappoint."

"Why is he bringing him here?" Corset screeched with outrage.

"What's with all this noise?" Bulma called from where she and Whis had been watching at their table.

Vegeta landed on the ground in the centre of the commotion. Soba was thrown to the ground, a dead weight.

"Vegeta!" Bulma gasped. "What's the meaning of this?"

Corset was by his side in a flash, checking over his vitals. A large wave of warmth swept over her like a molten avalanche. Her eyes turned to her father, hot and prickly. "What the hell did you do?"

"Whis," Vegeta ignored the two of them. "If you think what you have tasted before was the best Earth had to offer, think again! I present to you one of the finest chefs Earth has to offer!"

His declaration was met with a look of bewilderment from Corset, Trunks and Bulma. Whis seemed unmoved.

"… That's probably one of the nicest things you've ever said…" Bulma mused stunned. "… Did you hit your head whilst training?"

"How about it? Care to try some of the finest delicacies you'll ever come across on the entire planet?" Vegeta jeered. "You won't be disappointed."

Whis seemed to contemplate the offer for a moment. "… More delicacies? Are they desserts too or will I have to save the rest of these for later?"

Vegeta glared down at his eldest. "…Well?" He sneered quietly. "What does he cook?"

Corset's face dropped, the avalanche hit again. "… You dragged him out from work to bring him here to serve your own agenda and you don't even know what he cooks? Idiot!" She turned her attention back on Soba, feeling guilty that this had happened to him. With all that was going on right now, this was no doubt going to make things even worse. "… He is a sous chef at his father's noodle bar. They cook a variety of noodle dishes including ramen, yakisoba, yaki udon, stir-fry, noodle salads and soups-"

Vegeta bared his teeth. "So it's a main-meal restaurant. Damn it…"

"They offer desserts too," Corset rose to her feet, standing over Soba defensively. "Unfortunately you have not thought this through. Even if he was awake to cook something, he's unlikely to find the ingredients he's looking for in our kitchen! You should have just waited and ordered some of their food and then brought it here instead of bringing him over unconscious!"

"He's not unconscious," Trunks pointed out. "Also, I'm sure he's getting a good view up your dress, leggings or otherwise, Sis."

Corset's head spun over her shoulder to see Soba glaring up at her. Instantly she jumped back, hands keeping the hem of her dress against her thighs. "S-Since when-? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Dad's been a complete and utter moron again."

"Is that where you get it from?" Soba responded, getting to his feet.

"Enough!" Vegeta spat. "Whis, you will not be left disappointed with this boy's cooking!"

"Boy? I'm twenty four years old!" Soba snapped.

"What do you say?" Vegeta ignored him.

Whis eyed up the brown-haired man standing amongst the crowd. "… I'm intrigued. Bulma, would you say you'd agree with Vegeta's opinion on this gentleman's cooking abilities? I'm surprised you would keep someone like this a secret from me."

"Oh, of course!" Bulma stuttered. "We just haven't gotten around to Soba's family's restaurant. It's the best place for noodles on the entire planet!"

"Oh? Even better than that last bowl of ramen you treated me to?" Whis asked.

Corset took her eyes away from Whis and her mother and glanced back at Soba, double taking. He was as white as a sheet. She could only assume he recognised Whis and knew where from. A moment or so more and his eyes were torn away from the two and were looking in her direction. He looked petrified. "… I have to cook for him?" He squeaked.

"Dad thinks you're good enough," Corset encouraged. Truth be told she was pretty sure Soba was the only professional chef Vegeta knew and given that he'd never been around to taste his cooking before… She was surprised that he even remembered what he did at all. Then again, Saiyans did seem partial to food. She'd eaten at Soba's father's restaurant many times and enjoyed the food a lot but was he really the greatest chef she knew? He wasn't even head-chef at work; his father was! Had her own father made a grave miscalculation in snatching Soba rather than his father?

"To be fair, our Dad's just paid you a really nice compliment," Trunks added. "He doesn't do that to us."

"I'm grossly overdue my first compliment," Corset chimed in.

* * *

To say that Soba had never felt pressure like this would involve taking into account the constant high-pressure he felt on a day-to-day basis working in the sweltering heat of his father's kitchen. Nonetheless it was fair to say that despite the kitchen being cool, despite him only cooking for one and despite the atmosphere in Capsule Corp typically having a relaxed hint about it, this was the most amount of pressure Soba had ever felt in a kitchen. His hands would not stop shaking.

The relief should have come once he'd finished the dish. In reality he was uncertain he'd ever feel that sensation again. The only dish he could make with the ingredients presented to him in the kitchen was a yakisoba. The oven wasn't quite what he was used to cooking on, the pans weren't of such high quality and he was lost in locating what he needed. The pan conditions surprised Soba considering he was in the kitchen of the richest family on the planet.

At last he made his way outside, tray rattling a little. Corset had stayed with him through the tense process, opting to stay silent through the entire ordeal. She took the tray immediately from his hands and increased her stride, hitting the pavement and finding herself before her mother and Whis before she knew it. Placing the tray of food down on the table before them, she didn't ignore the look of worry her mother was giving her. Making her way back to where Trunks and Soba were standing, she could hardly watch as Whis gingerly took the bowl of yakisoba and placed it on the placemat before him. His arm gracefully reached out, hand taking hold of a pair of chopsticks.

She heard the gulp from Soba's throat which did not help the pounding in her ears.

Whis' chopsticks made contact with the noodles, plied a couple from the rest of the pack alongside a strip of shredded chicken and a prawn. It slipped past his lips. Then it was gone. Jaw moved rhythmically. Then his throat shifted, the sound of him swallowing could have echoed across the planet for all they knew.

Vegeta stood by Whis' side looking apprehensive.

They all looked at him.

Whis shivered. Then he howled.

"We're so dead," Soba's voice creaked out of his mouth.

"This is…" Whis beamed. "… This is promising!"

Promising? Soba was right, they were dead, Corset concluded. She was going to inflict a world of pain on her father in the afterlife!

"Such wonderful savoury flavours," Whis grinned ecstatically. "The seasoning is light but effective, the noodles are wonderfully soft and not too moist. The prawns were wonderfully succulent! All I would say is that this dish needs… it needs some of this sauce. And this." He picked up a couple of cups holding dipping sauces and poured the contents across the plate.

Soba looked as if someone had just told him his grandmother had been caught streaking in the city centre. He grabbed hold of Corset's hand and pulled her towards him, bringing his mouth to her ear. "He's just mixed gyoza dipping sauce and spring roll dipping sauce together!"

"Is that bad?" Corset asked.

"Let's just say it's not something I would recommend," Soba scrunched his face up. "Dammit I worked so hard on that given the kitchen I was forced to work in!"

"And perhaps a little of this…" Whis picked up one of the many glasses of juice Bulma's mother had brought out for them as they'd been waiting. He poured half the contents onto the plate, much to the horror of those around.

"There, that should do," Whis beamed. "Now…" He launched the chopsticks into the bowl and went for a second mouthful, the rest of the group on tenterhooks waiting to see his reaction. Whis shivered and stretched back, hands clasped to his cheeks. "So much better! The slight acidity adds to the flavour and compliments the noodles further! The fiery warmth soothes into a dreamy buzz on the edge of my tongue. There, this is the one!"

"Really?" Bulma asked intrigued.

"Really?" Soba asked stumped. He had to see what the fuss was about. He rushed over. "Do you mind if I try it for myself? If it's that good we may be able to perfect this further for you in the restaurant so you can order it the next time you come to Earth."

"Be my guest." Whis smiled.

So Soba tried it. His response was somewhat duller than Whis. "… It tastes unique! Yep, I think I can see how we can make this better. I'll be sure to put this onto the restaurant menu!"

"Perhaps you could call it the Whis Special?" Bulma suggested.

"… Is that thing seriously going on the menu?" Corset asked baffled as Soba made his way back. "Will your father think it's good enough?"

Soba stared at her. His facial features changed. Corset understood.

"So, how about it?" Vegeta stepped in, addressing Whis once more. "Will you bring me to Birus?"

Whis placed his napkin down and smiled pleasantly at the prince. "As I said, it would be unwise to wake Birus up whilst he is resting." His eyes opened, sending a chill across the garden. "… More importantly, you would not stand a chance and so are not worth waking Birus up for. It will be me who has to deal with his bad temper once he is done with you… and I would hate to not be able to taste what else Earth has in store for me. As I said before, Vegeta; unless you learn to control your ki, you will never surpass Son Goku or Birus for that matter… and since you are not a God of Destruction, you cannot be taught to do so by me."

Corset frowned. So that plan had been all for nothing? Her father had brought Soba here just so he could bribe Whis with a battle against Birus? Had he not got it through his head that he was nothing compared to Birus – none of them could hold a candle to the power he possessed – not even Goku had been able to keep up with him.

"Hold on a minute!" Soba growled. "Are you telling me the reason your dad dragged me away from work and knocked me out cold was so he could challenge that cat-guy from before?"

"Hey in our defence, we had no idea he was going to kidnap you!" Corset hissed. "I'll apologise to your dad later, ok."

"Well that's all well and good but where is my apology?" Soba asked indignantly.

"Well if you can convince my dad to give you a compliment and an apology in one day then be my guest," Corset replied.

"Fine!" Vegeta hollered. "If you won't accept this boy's cooking then I'll just have to whip up something myself!"

"Don't kid us around!" Bulma snapped. "You've never been in our kitchen other than to stuff your face and clear out the fridge and cupboards! You'd be lucky to cook something edible much less cook something amazing!"

"Oh and you're one to talk!" Vegeta barked. "Prepare yourselves, I will cook you the ultimate recipe!"

* * *

To say that Soba had never felt pressure like this would involve taking into account the constant high-pressure he felt on a day-to-day basis working in the sweltering heat of his father's kitchen. Nonetheless it was fair to say that despite the garden having a refreshing breeze, despite him not actually having to cook for anyone and despite the atmosphere in Capsule Corp typically having a relaxed hint about it, this was the most amount of pressure Soba had ever felt out of a kitchen. His head would not stop shaking.

This meal had been affectionately and creatively named: Vegeta's Omelette Rice. So far, two dozen eggs had been unsuccessfully cracked and were now variously scattered across the Saiyan Prince and his make-shift work surface. After the first three, Soba had been desperate to take over but Corset held him back. None of them would be allowed to help, she'd explained, and no matter how hopeless it seemed, they had to let her dad work on his own until the time was right for him to stop.

"Enough, Vegeta…" Bulma sighed as one egg hatched. "… It's ok not to be good at everything. Play to your strengths. This is not one of them; you are totally hopeless at cooking!"

"Shut up!" Vegeta snapped.

"I'm genuinely curious," Soba mumbled resigned. "… Who cooks your meals when you're here? … And please don't tell me you get take-out every night."

"Nana cooks our food," Corset replied. "Neither Mama nor Dad is expertly gifted in the art of cuisine. A day where Mama has to cook is normally a day where we are given instant ramen unless we cook for ourselves."

"That's it!" Vegeta gasped loudly. A smug look crossed his face. "Whis… the best is yet to come."

He turned and filled the kettle, flicking the switch to turn it on.

"W-Wait Vegeta!" Bulma gasped. "Don't you dare!"

"What has Bulma shown you so far?" Vegeta asked.

Whis pondered this for a moment. "… Tempura, boiled eel, oden, sukiyaki, crab hot pot, motsunabe, and Kaiseki cuisine… and today I have now shared in the delights of what you called The Whis Special!"

Vegeta chuckled. "Just as I thought!"

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried.

"Bulma has been hiding the most delicious on Earth from you! It's a meal she can't go a week without having at least once!" Vegeta declared. The kettle came to the boil and clicked. Within two minutes, Vegeta had finished preparing his meal. Before them stood a small pot.

* * *

Soba was distraught. He'd been even more distraught with Whis' reaction.

Instant ramen in a pot. There were many things Soba could take in his stride but if there was one thing he would not accept, it was that an instant ramen could be better than slowly prepared, healthy ramen he and his father had made and perfected for years!

The fact that the instant ramen had swayed Whis to take Vegeta on as a pupil was like rubbing salt on a burn.

"For the record, yours is far superior in my book," Corset had tried to console him but the damage had been done. Soba was not going to let this one go easily.

"I put my heart and soul into making that dish and then he goes and adds sauces that should never be mixed together for fear of killing your taste buds!" Soba ranted. "It's no wonder he thought that stupid pot of fraud, cheap ramen was better!"

Corset let him continue. At least now they were on talking terms again.

* * *

 **AN:** Just to clarify, I am aware that I've written the same paragraph twice. For those of you who spotted it, thank you for paying that much attention to my writing. I deliberately wrote it twice, it's not an error on my part. It was done for effect to show how out of his depth Soba felt and also to continue on the tone of this chapter and how ridiculous the situation was for him.

Thanks to everyone who's fed back to me.


	10. 10 - Redefining

**Chapter 10 – Redefining**

"Congratulations!" Corset grinned as the door opened. Her smile faded a little when she saw the rings around Gohan's eyes and the look of pity crept across her face. "… Have I come to bother you at a bad time?"

"No, of course not," Gohan shook his head, taking a step to the side and widening the door. "Please, come in."

Corset removed her shoes and pulled out a capsule. With a simple click at the end and a gentle flick of her wrist, the capsule popped into life upon the floor, revealing a small box. Inside were what were affectionately known as her visiting slippers. The chill of the beginning of the year had not passed even though they'd hit spring so slippers were still a necessity. Once acquired, she followed Gohan down the entrance hall into one of the many rooms their home seemed to have. Why Mr Satan had thought they needed so many rooms for a starting family, she never knew. Then again her grandpa couldn't talk with the number of rooms in the living quarters of her childhood home… and that didn't include the majority of the rooms in that building being part of their family business!

Passing into the living room proved more than a handful.

Chichi was present.

The woman's onyx orbs set onto Corset, eyes narrowing. Corset new that look of suspicion and was rather accustomed to it creeping over her best friend's mother's face over the many years she'd known Gohan. Today was one of those moments she wasn't sure what she'd done to deserve the look. Nevertheless she acted as if she hadn't noticed it. "Good morning, Chichi. You're looking well."

"Thank you very much," Came the woman's sugar-coated response. The distrust did not leave her eyes. "How is work treating you?"

"Well…" Corset sat herself down cautiously on the chair. "… I'm thinking about quitting."

"Quitting?" Gohan's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Can you afford to do that?" Chichi mirrored her son's expression.

Corset frowned annoyed. _'I knew you'd do this.'_ She took a small breath before continuing. "… I don't know… but I've been at it for three or four years now and I'm not enjoying it, I'm not getting the work done on time because there's too much to do within the hours I'm given. Plus when it comes to building and creating new things, Mama's the genius there. I'm not so good at fixing as I am breaking."

"Does Bulma know?" Gohan asked.

Corset shook her head. She wasn't looking forward to telling her mother her plans. She knew Bulma would try to stop her at every turn from leaving the company, especially as by being the first born, Corset was assumed to be the successor of the business. If she left, it would look awkward in the media's eyes. It would cast off lies and speculation. But she didn't want to be in a job she didn't feel suited for, even if it meant a small blip in Capsule Corporation's affairs.

"So what would you do instead?" Gohan asked. "She'll go crazy if you don't have something to go to."

Corset shrugged her shoulders. "I'll find something." It wasn't as if that thought hadn't crossed her mind already. She had no idea what she really wanted to do and she had no leads. It was going to have a slight impact on the running of the house back in Shore City but it wasn't like she was the only one earning a decent wage. Soba wasn't that bad off either.

Chichi scowled. "You can't leave your position like that without having something to fall back on. That would be irresponsible. You need to find something before you go breaking the news to Bulma."

"Can I get you a drink?" Gohan asked. "Any snacks?"

"An iced tea if you have any and if not, water will be nice," Corset answered politely.

As Gohan left the room, Corset's eyes fell back to Chichi. In her arms, resting quietly, was her granddaughter. The infant's complexion seemed more Gohan and Videl to Corset and her eyes were definitely from her father's side of the family – dark, deep pools of the darkest midnight sky. But her hair seemed more… Videl, as did her overall facial structure. She seemed the perfect amalgamation of her parents, Corset thought… but the influences that surrounded her were nothing to be sneezed at. She had two grandparents with a large interest in martial arts alongside a long-running family history of battling, training and general martial-arts. Her mother, Videl, was a teacher at Mr Satan's flagship dojo (albeit still on maternity leave) and so continued the martial arts theme. Her father was first and foremost a hard-working man of study and research, though still occasionally moonlighted as his alter-ego fighting crime – using the martial arts training to the best effect he could. Then there was the matter of her grandmother. A woman who once took part in training but since becoming a mother had turned her back on the way of life and had been persistently persuasive in trying to drive the martial arts out of her entire family.

"Oh, Corset," Videl appeared, greeting her friend with a smile. "How have you been?"

"Busy," Corset smiled back. "How's motherhood treating you?" Her eyes crossed to the baby in Chichi's arms. "Taking a much deserved rest while you can?"

"She's been pretty well behaved this morning," Videl responded.

"Remember, when baby sleeps, mother should also sleep," Chichi chided. "You'll be needing all the rest you can get."

"Right," Videl nodded in agreement.

"Maybe now isn't the best time for me to be here then," Corset rubbed the back of her head bashfully.

"No, no, stay," Videl was quick off the mark. "It's been a while since we've seen you. I can miss half an hour's rest, it won't make much difference."

"Here's your iced tea," Gohan re-entered the room, placing the glass down on the coffee table close to Corset before settling down next to his mother. "Remind me not to be around Bulma when you pass on the news."

"News?" Videl perked up. "What news?"

Corset glared at Gohan shortly before turning back towards Videl. "I'm thinking of leaving Capsule Corp."

Videl's eyes widened but she somehow managed to stop herself from making a verbal noise of it. After a moment, she spoke calmly. "It might be wise to have this conversation elsewhere in the house…" She had seen the annoyed looks Chichi had been flashing at them all. A conversation could wake little Pan up from her rest and it'd taken Chichi a persistent half-an-hour to get her to settle down and fall asleep. So the new mother led her husband and best friend into the kitchen and the three sat around the dining table, catching up with one another.

"I know I don't have anything to go to-" Corset started.

"Good, then you may be in luck," Videl cut her off. "You remember Dad had found someone to cover me whilst I'm on leave? Well he had to let him go; something about a parent complaint and a pretty serious threat to withdraw funding. He needs someone to take the classes who is clearly a pupil of his otherwise he'll lose his sponsors for the dojo."

Corset could see where this was going. "… You want me to pretend to be one of your dad's students?"

"It's an answer to your new job issue," Videl answered. "Would you be interested?"

Corset sat back against the hardwood. How did she feel about teaching martial arts to children? Well it wasn't like she hadn't taught Trunks anything but his training had been special and very unorthodox in comparison to what she was being offered. Not only that but their abilities would be worlds apart; could she teach regular children regular martial arts? Well, what other options did she have right now? "… Alright. I'll do it."

Videl grinned. "This will be great news for Dad. He seemed very worried he wouldn't get anyone to fill the gap so this is fantastic."

She had to admit she felt a little better about the situation now she had somewhere new to go. Corset knew her mother was more likely to let her go if she had something to go to, surely? "This is gonna be a hard week for Mama. First Dad and now me."

"What did Vegeta do?" Gohan picked up on her last comment. "Did something go wrong?"

"No, nothing went wrong. Whis came to visit the other day and ended up leaving with Dad in tow. It was pretty horrifying all things considered," Corset responded. "I'm surprised I haven't told you guys this yet. Dad cooked and threw Soba a compliment. He managed to convince Whis to train him and went to Birus' planet. I sometimes wonder if someone had us under mass hallucinations that day…"

"Vegeta's training with Whis?" Gohan gasped stunned.

"Hang on. Isn't Whis the tall gentleman who came to Earth with Birus?" Videl asked. "Gohan's right: how did your father manage to find himself being trained by him? That sounds crazy."

"It was pretty surreal but truth of the matter is, he kinda bribed him," Corset explained. "Whis visits Mama every-so-often to try the different foods found on this planet. He loves them. Dad introduced him to instant ramen and it was a hit."

"Instant ramen…?" Videl wrinkled her nose. "… That got Whis to train him? Weird."

"So what about you?" Gohan asked. "Have you also been… you know?"

Corset smiled. "I wish it were as simple as it used to be. Mama's slowly increasing the workload I have so getting to do it is proving harder and harder. By the time I finish work for the day, it's late and I haven't eaten anything since lunch, so I don't have the energy. Weekends are my only chance now."

Gohan frowned. "… I'm glad I'm not the only one. I know in reality we wouldn't stand a chance against an opponent like Birus but still…" He seemed to drift off into his mind.

Videl leaned in closer, "Of course no one is allowed to know – especially not a certain someone in the living room…"

"Of course not," Corset whispered back. "She'd kill your husband and hers if she knew what they were up to!"

"Then we're in agreement?" Videl asked.

"On what?" Corset responded with her own question.

"On not telling Chichi that we're all training," Videl hissed.

"Mother's mad enough with us all as it is," Gohan frowned. "She doesn't want Pan to have anything to do with martial arts."

Corset furrowed her brows and scrunched her face up. "… I may be talking out of place but… isn't that up to you two? You are her parents. It should be you guys who decide that."

"Yes but you remember my mother's love of myself and Goten training?" Gohan pointed out.

"True…" Corset folded her arms and sat back. "… I guess it doesn't matter how much of an adult you are: mothers are still scary."

* * *

"Goku's gone," Bulma mused, settling herself down at her workstation. "He just up and left!"

Corset looked away from the monstrosity she was trying to fix. Actually, fix was the wrong word as in reality, she had little to no idea how she'd managed to break the device to begin with and was now fiddling with it. Of course said object was out of her mother's line of sight. It belonged to her. The wrath could come later as this conversation seemed far more interesting and less likely to end up with her being yelled at. "What's new?"

Bulma sighed and fiddled with the loose lock refusing to co-operate with the rest of her bangs. "… He's gone to train with Whis."

Corset's eyes widened. "… Isn't Dad training under Whis? I can't see Goku's appearance being a positive one for him…"

"That's not even what I am worried about," Bulma wailed. "He ruined our meeting! That Goku is so impatient, he was literally hanging off of Whis waiting for him to finish the foods I'd prepared." Corset passed her mother a look. Bulma huffed, "Fine! The foods I'd sourced and bought for today. Geez!"

Corset took a moment before she continued. "… Did the new advertising deal not go well?" She refused to falter even when her mother shot her a grumpy look. "You seem to be in a bad mood."

"It's nothing," Bulma grunted. "… I can't drive for a little while, that's all."

"Oh," Corset had been pre-warned about this certain issue. Whilst it'd been her own fault for getting riled up at a pair of speed-junkies, Krillin (who had finally passed the test to become a policeman after the third attempt) had felt awkward enough to phone Corset to warn her of her mother's antics and likely mood. Corset found it hard to believe her mother had really lost it and had successfully driven a car clean off the road with the model she was currently sporting.

"He wouldn't even tear up the ticket…" Bulma muttered rising up out of her chair. "… The cheapskate! I finally got Chichi to see reason and this is the thanks I get?" She continued to mutter under her breath, mentioning something about Vegeta and their son and something about work before the door closed, leaving a relieved Corset with a broken gadget hidden in her arms. There was a loud clunk as one piece clattered to the tiles.

* * *

She was surprised to see Soba home. A Soba that was home before her was either ill or had been shouted at by his father again and sent home for the day, as Soba would often arrive home later than Corset. The commute just made it all the more noticeable how late he worked in the restaurant kitchens.

What was stranger was that there was no indication of him being in a foul mood.

Surely Hell had frozen over? She'd have to ask Dende to see if he could sense things like that or get in contact with someone who'd know.

Dinner was out on the table.

Even more suspicious. Understandably, he never liked cooking after having spent all day cooking for other people. Her cookery skills were mediocre but still better than those of her parents. He often liked to point that out to her.

The two ate their food in silence, both enjoying the quiet the mood brought into the room. It was nice to spend quiet time together for once since most of their vocal times within the past few months had been loud and abrasive. They'd made a pact last week to eat in silence and then talk about their day afterwards. It was weird but so far so good, there'd been no arguing. Each took the time to listen to the other. Naturally Corset finished her meal first and went for seconds and thirds. Soba sat quietly pondering away, occasionally taking a large gulp from his tea.

Corset began to feel self-conscious after her third helping had been devoured; judging by the look on his face, he wanted to discuss something. So she forwent her stomach's urges and suppressed its painful grumblings to initiate conversation. "You were home earlier than expected. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Soba nodded. "Dad…" His face turned ashen. Corset's face dropped but before she could ask, he cut in. "He's stable, just had a fall. He put Pepps in charge and ordered I go home… So I did."

"Where did he fall?" Corset wasn't sure she wanted full details or how insensitive she was sounding or how Soba was handling the situation. It was a lot to take in. She couldn't imagine Soba's father resting up or taking things easy; not even old age had managed to convince him to do so.

"Kitchen," Soba looked like a zombie, staring off into space and mumbling away. She couldn't imagine how he felt right now…. Well, she could relate on some level given the stuff that'd happened to her parents over the years. Corset rose from her chair and wrapped her arms around him, unsure what else to do.

"I'm so sorry," She apologised.

"Not your fault," Soba droned out.

They stayed quiet for some time, neither sure how much time had passed. Neither knew how long they stayed there and when Corset pulled away, Soba continued to sit while she organised the dishwasher. He continued to sit there even when she left the room to answer her phone. He didn't register when she re-entered the room and put the kettle on, making them both a hot beverage with a little added hint of liqueur.

His dad was old but Soba'd never thought of him being frail.

Corset knew he'd lost his mother at a young age and his father had worked hard to keep the finances going.

He was disturbingly quiet right now.

It bothered her. She was used to him being bothered by things and being fiery-tempered and nothing being good enough at present between them. She was used to the tension between them. For it to be suddenly gone was strange. It was a relief. But it was for the wrong reasons. It wasn't because they were fixed, it was because of grief and worry and because something had rocked them in a bad way.

Nevertheless, he needed something right now, so she sat beside him and stayed there.

Her news about her new job could wait.


	11. 11 - Resurrection of a Destroyer

**AN:** Story varies a little differently from the RoF movie and Super eps because it was written between the two of them. Enjoy.

-LilDBZBuddy89

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Resurrection of a Terrifying Destroyer**

Within the reaches of space, someone was moving towards the solar system. More specifically, they were heading for the third planet from the sun, a wave of nausea hitting its inhabitant as their craft made contact with the planet's atmosphere. Whether it was because of the bumpy ride or the news he carried, he didn't know. Sweat rolled down the smooth contour of his powder blue face. He only hoped that his old friends were still around and were able to help. Otherwise their planet was doomed.

Whoever had revived that monster was an utter fool, one the Galactic Space Patrol would severely punish. It staggered him that the strong tyrant had even been brought back from the grave. How had that been possible?

The ship shuddered, rattling him about violently as it fought against the friction the atmosphere threw at it, sucked further and further towards the ground several hundred kilometres below.

Fingers crossed he wouldn't come slapping down in the middle of the ocean!

* * *

The weekend. The best part of the week, Corset had decided long ago. Her new job meant that she no longer had to work weekends. Just the way she liked it. It allowed her to spend time at home and visit family amongst spending more time training. She'd started to venture off back into the wind, feeling a calling to do so. There was something very satisfying about training in solitude, she could see why Piccolo and her father and Tenshinhan chose to do it so often. However today she'd agreed to visit her family back in West City before heading off. So here she was, sitting comfortably in the garden under the cooling shade of the parasol with her mother and grandfather.

None of them had expected the ground to shudder violently accompanied by an explosion!

Corset had been blown clean from her chair and sent crashing on her back onto the grass. At first she thought a bomb had gone off, then she thought a ship had landed (very reminiscent of her father's constant coming-and-going between Earth and Space). The second thought seemed bizarre; she knew her father was absent but Whis had taken both her father and Goku to their training grounds himself, moving much as Goku seemed to using Instant Transmission, or so she assumed. Nevertheless, they had gone spaceship-free. So there was no reason for it to be a crashing craft. Perhaps Trunks had blown something up?

"No!" Dr Brief hollered with despair. "Not the fountain! We've only just had that restored!"

Getting to her feet, she could see a mass of rock messily piled up with random ribbons of water spurting out. What a shame, it had been a nice fountain to sit at during the summer months.

Bulma didn't share the same sentimentality her father held for the lump of stone. She was far more intrigued by the emerging vessel settled nicely upon the crumpled mass of stone. The dust settled and part of the ship opened up rather dramatically. Then a figure darted out with a spin, someone Bulma vaguely recognised from her youth.

"… It's… It's that alien guy," Dr Brief sounded pleasantly surprised. "What was his name again? Tights' friend? No…"

Corset raised her eyebrows at her grandfather's revelation. "… Auntie Tights knows this guy?" She took a quick glance over the short alien – and it was obvious he was an alien with his bizarre-looking eyes and skin markings. His ki didn't seem threatening so that was something.

The alien, slender but short in build, trudged his way over to the two residents, a smile on his pale face. "Tights! Dr Brief!"

"Tights? I look nothing like her!" Bulma snorted. "Oh… I remember you now! You're that space patrol guy."

"Jaco," The alien answered. "You mean you're not Tights? So you must be her little sister then? Bloomer?"

"Bulma!" Bulma snapped, cheeks reddening. "Jackass!"

"Jaco." The alien corrected her.

"Whatever," The president of Capsule Corporation folded her arms. "So what brings you to Earth?"

"Oh that's right!" Jaco gasped, calm stature immediately replaced with agitation. "Dr Brief, Bulma; I bring terrible news! First of all, am I right in thinking you two are friends with the fighter who defeated Freeza?"

That was a name Corset hadn't heard in a while, not since her long-lost Uncle Tarble had appeared two years ago. Something unpleasant settled in the pit of the woman's stomach.

"Yeah, we know him." Bulma responded sounding concerned. "He's not here right now though – on the planet, I mean. Why? You planning to challenge him? He'd wipe the floor with you."

"Freeza is coming to Earth!" Jaco cried.

"How?" Dr Brief didn't seem nearly as panicked as Jaco. "Bulma, dear, didn't you say that my alternate-timeline grandson killed Freeza?"

"You know Freeza's dead, right?" Corset had to ask. Her mind had ventured elsewhere and her focus was on trying to find any evidence to support the visitor's warning.

Something was out there, not too far from their solar system. But Corset couldn't be sure unless it came closer. It unsettled her stomach. Was that the monster who'd killed her all those years ago or had this new person gotten it wrong? But then again what was she afraid of; she could beat Freeza in her sleep now. She'd recently started her training again too so what was there to be worried of? But perhaps she was getting too overconfident; this fighter had killed her as a child which was something that still haunted her. He was ruthless and would have done anything to have won. Power wasn't the deciding factor in battle. Piccolo had taught her that.

Events that had taken place around fifteen years ago stirred in Bulma's memory. She remembered them well, having witnessed Freeza's death (albeit from a fair distance away) as well as the death of Freeza's father. Indeed it'd been her future son who'd saved them only then to deliver the terrible news of the androids. Everyone at the time had confirmed Freeza had died. So how had he been revived? Surely no one was stupid enough to go wishing him back, certainly not on this planet?

It clicked.

"The Dragonballs!" Bulma slapped her hands to her cheeks in horror. "Don't you remember? About four months ago, someone used the Dragonballs. We didn't know at the time who it was and why Shenron had been called. It's the only thing I can think of - someone used our Dragonballs to revive Freeza!"

"I don't know what these Dragonballs are but we have to stop Freeza from destroying planets again!" Jaco protested. "He causes so much grief for us at Galactic Patrol; it's too hard keeping up with the crimes he and his cronies commit! Please, find a way to stop him!"

"Don't worry, I'll find a way," Bulma nodded. First she had to make several phone calls.

* * *

Things quickly became tense on Earth for a select few. Having gathered most of the group at Capsule Corp, Bulma soon set out to call upon their newest ally… if the term ally could be used here.

"Any reason you're making food?" Corset asked intrigued. Looking at the single dessert glass before her filled her with a foreboding sense. "… I don't think that's gonna feed all of us."

"It's not for you guys," Bulma snapped. "I'm trying to see if we can get Whis to come and assist. You remember Goku told us that he's actually stronger than Birus, right?"

"… I'm still not following," Corset scratched her forehead. "You're gonna call Whis… how?"

Bulma didn't answer, too preoccupied with piling up the strawberries on top of the cream settled nicely within the dessert cup, making sure it looked presentable. So Corset left her to it, not convinced in the slightest it would work. She hadn't bothered to call Soba, not feeling it'd be worth bothering him over considering he'd be busy at work. Besides, there wasn't really anything he could do other than stand about and wait for the fight to be over.

Still, Freeza? Why was her mother's friend so panicked and why was her mother so determined to call Whis? If Corset was correct, her alternate-timeline brother had come back in time, as a Super Saiyan, defeated Freeza and had killed him and his father without breaking a sweat. Corset had since become a Super Saiyan, had become a Super Saiyan Two and had held her own against the monstrous Buu on several occasions. Even if she had lost to him several times, she'd survived the battle so few had lived through. She was far superior in strength and speed to someone at Freeza's level. So why was everyone so panicked? At this point she was willing to bet that even Krillin could give Freeza a run for his money – and Krillin was one of the weaker fighters of their group. Eighteen could take him no problem, Tenshinhan in all likelihood could too. Piccolo definitely could, having overwhelmed Seventeen and the first form of Cell years ago – and all of them had only gotten stronger since.

As far as Corset was concerned, this wasn't something to completely panic over.

"Can I get anyone anything?" She asked as she entered the living room, hoping that no one would actually require anything. Her wish was granted and she jubilantly joined them, sitting herself down beside Gohan who was in the middle of something.

"I figured it wasn't worth letting Goten know about this," He was explaining. "I didn't want him doing anything too rash, not against an opponent like Freeza."

"I have to admit, I haven't told Trunks," Corset agreed. "Could you imagine how infuriated Freeza would get if he were to fight Gotenks?" Then again, she had the feeling if they really wanted to, Trunks and Goten would have found a way to have watched without being noticed. The two boys love of competition seemed to have shifted from sparring to other things like girlfriends and popularity. Trunks was naturally winning with his family background but from what Corset had been told, Goten seemed to be a hit with the girls in every way as Trunks did.

"I told Chaozu and Yamcha to stay away; I thought this battle might be too much for them," Tenshinhan conceded. "… How was this allowed to happen?"

"If we knew the answer to that, we'd have all tried to find Freeza a lot sooner than this," Piccolo responded. "No one sensed him on his revival… It's bizarre. How could such an entity be revived and then disappear without any of us noticing? His power was always enormous."

"We were able to sense it quickly when he came to Earth, even with him hundreds of thousands of miles off," Corset frowned. "… I'm surprised Shenron even had the power and stupidity to bring him back. Dende's abilities must be pretty amazing to bring someone like him back."

"I'm curious," Krillin interrupted. "As much of a pain he can be, where's Buu? Surely we'd want his help too?"

"I tried but unfortunately he's fallen into a deep sleep," Gohan frowned. "I tried everything but nothing would wake him up. He won't wake until he's ready."

"He's coming," Piccolo growled, eyes turning towards the ceiling as if he were able to see through the building.

All eyes were now up, senses focused on the massive, terrifying energy slowly making its way closer and closer to their planet.

"Well I give up!" Bulma huffed, making her way into the living room, dessert and spoon in hand. "If that Whis doesn't want dessert then I'll eat it myself!" With a grumble she swiped the spoon across the top of the cream, snatching a strawberry along for the ride and engulfing it feverishly, punishing the fruit and cream for her failed efforts.

* * *

The ship had landed somewhere north of East City. So it ended up being a long journey across the continent, one which Corset found herself still feeling relaxed over. Freeza had brought company; a couple of thousand fighters with miniscule battle strengths were slowly spreading out before them. There were one or two… no, three stronger battle strengths, around the same level as Dodoria and Zarbon's power had been. As a five-year-old that kind of power had scared her; now as someone just under five-times-older than that, it bordered on dull and insignificant. The only threat she felt to it was that they'd be more than capable of hurting scores of innocent people down below, but her? It was laughable.

Why had they come to Earth? What were they in need of? Why did they have no indication of how futile and suicidal their quest was going to be? It was such a shame, Corset thought as the wind cooled the further north they travelled. So many lives would be cut short today, all because their leader had sentenced them to death. It was morbid, purely morbid.

The pattern and spread of the soldiers had changed. All now seemed to be heading towards the group of oncoming fighters.

"Scouters," Gohan mused. "It's gotta be."

"That's fine," Tenshinhan responded. "At least this makes our job easier too and gives them less opportunity to hurt other people."

"… We need a plan," Piccolo spoke after a moment of hesitation. "Without Goku and Vegeta, this fight is going to prove to be more of a challenge than we anticipated. None of our hybrids – that's you, Gohan and Corset – or even Goten or Trunks are able to become Super Saiyan God."

"Do you really think we need to be?" Corset snorted raising an eyebrow. "This is Freeza we're talking about. Goku and other Trunks beat him as Super Saiyans!"

"Yes and it's been fifteen years since Freeza's last defeat," Piccolo barked. "He would have no doubt have been sent to Hell for his actions, probably have lost his body… but it's been a few months since the time we assume he's been revived… Don't underestimate him. You two were both young when we fought him but I know he would have done anything to have won. He's intelligent, brilliant at battle. He knows what he's doing. Don't get cocky just because you're a Super Saiyan. For all we know, he's found something. Why else would be foolishly return to Earth to take us on?"

"You think he's after Father?" Gohan asked.

"It's a possibility," Piccolo responded. "He returned to Earth last time for revenge… Who's to say this time is no different?"

' _I'm still not convinced,'_ Corset mused to herself.

"So what's your plan, Piccolo?" Krillin asked.

"… I think it would be best if we sent Gohan and Corset off to fight Freeza while the rest of us deal with his minions," Piccolo explained. "… Though I could curse you both for your lack of training recently. If you'd kept your training up, I'd be going into this fight feeling much more confident you could pull this off together!"

Neither demi-Saiyan responded to this remark. Gohan had other priorities in life and had never put his training above everything else, plus now he was a father to his recently born daughter, Pan. Corset on the other hand was silently seething. Piccolo clearly wasn't aware she'd picked up the slack and had started training again.

"They're here!" Tenshinhan hollered over the rushing wind.

Indeed there they were, a large mass of specks on the distance slowly making their way towards them. There was easily several hundred fighters here, maybe even more: all of whom were heading directly for the group. Corset braced herself, gathering energy into the pit of her stomach. "You ready to do this, Gohan?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," He nodded. "Everyone, good luck!"

The two Saiyan-Earthling-hybrids shot from the group at a much faster pace, suddenly leaving their incoming enemies in the dust as they continued on towards Freeza's energy. Behind them, Krillin, Piccolo, Master Roshi, Tenshinhan and Jaco (who'd tagged along) were left fighting the mass of soldiers, scores of punches and kicks and energy attacks dancing across the skyline above the heavily forested area below.

Their destination was about five minutes away at the speed of which they travelled. Finding his ship was the hard part, eventually spotted situated on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean beyond. Gohan and Corset descended and landed upon the marshy bank, eyes peeled on the large ship for any signs of life.

"This brings back memories," Gohan spoke. "I never thought we'd see this ever again."

"Me neither," Corset agreed. "Well, let's do what we came here to do."

"So two monkeys have walked straight up to me?" A voice a fair ways off called. It came from the ship. The closer Corset looked, the easier it became to spot the abnormality. Even seeing him with her eyes didn't help her to fully take in what she was seeing. Freeza was truly back to normal, in his regular form from the looks of things. A chill ran down her spine; Corset assumed this was because this was the villain who'd killed her. She'd been one of the fatalities on that planet several years ago.

"Freeza," Gohan mumbled quietly. "So he really is back… Strange, he doesn't look any different. Have you noticed it?"

"He's back to his original form," Corset nodded. How had that happened? After the battle on Namek, Freeza had come back as a half-mechanical fighter after having taken heavy damage from Namek's explosion. How had he suddenly managed to reform himself back to his original body? Had Shenron brought him back this way?

"Who do I owe the pleasure to? You're lucky…" Freeza slowly rose from the roof of the ship, edging closer towards the two. Behind him, a few other soldiers emerged, keeping their distance strangely. One stood out due to the horns protruding from his head. "… I haven't killed any other bugs on this planet myself yet. Which one of you will receive the honour of being the first?"

"You," Corset let her power surge, transforming into a Super Saiyan. The move seemed to momentarily shock Freeza, who almost took a step back. Something stopped him, allowed him to recover almost instantly. The cocky smile had faded from his lips, now a scowl. Memories etched across the creases of his face; no doubt the Super Saiyan transformation still held a primitive sense of fear within him. His two losses had come from a Super Saiyan.

"You wanna go first?" Gohan asked his long-term friend.

"If you're happy to sit back," Corset nodded. "This shouldn't take long."

Freeza eyed the two warriors carefully for a moment. "… So you've both grown up. I recognise you both now. The two brats on Namek. Two Saiyans with Earthling blood…" He seemed to mull it over for a moment. "… No matter. I'll just kill you both and call your cowardly fathers that way."

Corset raised an eyebrow. "Kill us? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing compared to us now. We surpassed your strength before we even hit our teenage years. We've battled people far more capable than you since we last met."

"You're more than welcome to give us your all," Gohan continued. "But don't expect us to be easy anymore. You're fighting an uphill battle. I'll take a leaf out of my father's book and offer you the chance to escape now while you can. Otherwise, you leave us no choice but to destroy you."

Freeza chuckled. "I see your fathers have passed on their arrogance and soft-heartedness to their whelps. It's like ants trying to scare off a dinosaur. Neither of you will escape this fight alive."

"Are you so delusional now that you're blinded?" Corset snapped in disbelief. "Freeza, you can't win this fight!"

"Lord Freeza," One of the few soldiers – short with a koala-like nose – spoke out. "Perhaps it would be better to let the soldiers handle these two?"

Freeza's gaze diverted over to the alien, an eerie smile still etched across his face. "Sorbet, are you suggesting that I would not be able to defeat these two?"

The alien seemed panicked. "N-Not at all, Lord Freeza! I j-just meant that it seems a waste for you to deal with these two, who are obviously inferior to your strength."

' _These guys are all idiots! Delusional, the lot of them!'_ Corset couldn't believe she was here again, facing against the army that had terrified her as a small child. Now they looked so weak in comparison to what they'd dealt with. It was infuriating and embarrassing hearing them speak as if they had the upper hand.

"Lord Freeza, let me get rid of this trash for you," the soldier with the horns floated forward. "I shall show them the true horror of fighting those who oppose Lord Freeza and his army."

"… Why not," Came Freeza's reply. "Do your best…"

It didn't sound genuine; if anything, Corset was certain Freeza knew this was one soldier who was about to lose his life. The soldier didn't seem aware of this fact as he confidently floated down towards the two Earthling-inhabitants. She was ready.


	12. 12 - Deja-Vu of Battles Past

**Chapter 12 – Deja-Vu of Battles Past**

"Shisami will be more than enough for these two," Sorbet eagerly informed his master. "He is one of the Galactic Freeza Army's elite fighters."

"Ready, Corset?" Gohan asked quietly, lowering his stance.

"Of course," Came Corset's reply. "You sure you wanna do this? You have just become a daddy, you know. I don't wanna have to tell Videl we're having to bring you back."

"Are you mocking me?" Gohan smiled. "If anything, Videl and Pan are my new reason for joining in at times like these, even if I don't enjoy it. I want to make sure we live in a world where my daughter can grow up having a much better childhood than we did!"

With an animalistic roar, Shisami charged. Both Saiyan-Earthling fighters were ready for him, leaping back to dodge his punches and kicks. The tall, red-skinned alien chased the taller of the two, snatching Gohan in a bear hug, using all of his strength to try and squeeze the life out of Gohan. But Gohan did not holler out in pain; he remained perfectly fine, even when the alien further increased the force upon him.

"You can't beat us with a move like that," Corset shook her head, folding her arms and placing both feet on the ground. "Even someone like Gohan can handle that! Do you know how many times he's had that move pulled on him?"

Within a flash she'd slammed her boot clean into the side of Shisami's head, launching him clean off his feet – unfortunately his grip did not loosen and Gohan found himself flying alongside him, still locked in his grasp as the two slammed head-first into the sea! Corset chased after them, snatching Gohan's ankle and yanking him back up a little more violently than intended – Shisami still had not released his grip and had emerged from the ocean with an energy attack ready to be fired. Corset ducked under, body smoothly gliding underneath the two of them, barely missing the water's tip. She righted herself and dodged another kick, moving far too fast for Shisami to land a hit on her.

Gohan broke the dodging with a simple elbow to the neck, once more throwing Shisami across the sky and into the sea with a heavy splash.

"This is too easy," Corset frowned. "It's purely insulting at this point to think your measly soldiers can do anything to hurt us. Stop wasting our time and just get your death over with!" Her glare was back towards the tyrant still settled in his strange hovering chair.

Shisami launched himself out of the water, throwing himself back towards Gohan. The taller of the two hybrids once more dodged, leaping higher into the sky and leading the helpless fighter higher into the atmosphere. The two continued to exchange retorts through hand-to-hand combat, Gohan dodging and blocking whatever Shisami could throw at him.

The punch through his abdomen had been completely unforeseen. Shisami's mouth was filled with blood and bile as his body rejected its natural fluids, now it found itself shaking from shock. His eyes saw the fist protruding from his abdomen before they rolled back.

Gohan hovered back looking appalled. "… What are you?"

"I'm done with this," Corset snapped quietly. "I'm done being treated as if we're not a threat. I'm done wasting time with these guys. I'm done, finished, my patience for this kind of thing has expired." With blunt force she freed her hand from the alien's body, letting him free-fall to the ocean below, vanishing with a small splash.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gohan protested. "You've never done this before! Whatever happened to not killing people?"

"Oh get over it!" Corset rolled her eyes. "We'll wish him back to life with the Dragonballs if it'll make you happy, I'm just done with these guys. I don't want to play second fiddle to our dads – especially when one day they're not going to be here to protect this planet! We need to be more proactive and actually be able to handle the big bads by ourselves. Beating smallfry like this won't save this planet or the galaxy – being able to beat the causes of these smallfry's stupidity will!"

"… It's really out of character for you," Gohan now looked concerned more than anything. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Corset dismissed him.

Up above them, the small koala-nosed alien seemed panicked. Yet neither Freeza nor the soldier beside him seemed fazed by the sudden termination of Shisami. In fact, the other soldier began to giggle, which broke into a loud, hysterical guffaw. "Shisami was a fool! I'll take them out."

"This again?" Corset grumbled with frustration. "We're not interested in you. Take the hint and leave the fight to those of us with terrifying, ridiculous ki."

The man chortled. "Who was it who was getting frustrated over having no one decent to fight? Do not judge me based on my comrade's ability… I've spent the past four months working as Lord Freeza's sparring partner."

"Sparring partner?" Gohan repeated. "… He never struck me as a person to encourage training with someone else for company."

"Me neither," Corset agreed. "Fine, whatever. Show us your power so we can be done with it."

"With pleasure," The man grinned. His ki twitched. It flared, turning from a small ember into a raging inferno and rising higher and higher. The ground below them had started to shudder, the atmosphere whipping up with a howl. It'd been more than the apparently cocky hybrid had anticipated but she wasn't off-put by his energy. If anything, this would make the day seem slightly more interesting and more satisfying when she beat him. The thought stuck out to her; why all of a sudden did she sound like her dad? What was going on?

"I was Freeza's training partner: I took four months of beatings from him and as a result, I now have a body of steel." The man jeered. "If those attacks are anything to go by then you won't have any effect on me."

"Let me handle this," Gohan frowned, much to Corset's irritation. "No, I am not letting you fight. Something's not right and until we work out what it is, I'm marking you as a danger."

"Excuse me? I kill one guy and suddenly I'm the problem?" Corset screeched. "You have got to be kidding me! You killed Cell and all of his little minions and yet I'm the one being judged! You have no room to talk!"

"There's a difference," Gohan protested calmly. "I killed people who were really a threat to us. You killed someone who didn't stand a chance against you."

A shot of gold flew past them, inches from either of the two. As they glanced to follow it, both were left stunned to see who had joined in their fight. Before them was a Super Saiyan Gotenks… and judging by his body positioning, he'd either just headbutted their foe in the stomach or the unmentionables! The fused warrior landed safely on the ground, turning and giving the v-sign to his audience.

"Gotenks!" Gohan cried. "Darn it, how did those two find out and then sneak here so easily?"

"Gotenks, mind your own business and go home!" Corset snapped.

"No way!" The warrior grinned. "I sensed something bad was going down and this is what I find? You guys are no fair, not telling us about this!"

"Us?" Sorbet repeated baffled. "That kid-! He knocked Tagoma back with just one hit!"

"Another Super Saiyan…" Freeza's lips curled. "… So there are still more vermin that need to be eradicated from this universe…"

"There's no need to be so worried about me, guys," Gotenks continued. "I'm invincible with my new-found strength. Just leave this all to m-" The familiar light consumed his body. Within a blinding flash he had vanished, replaced by his two separate components. Before them, Goten and Trunks stood looking perplexed.

"You fused before you flew here?" Corset could feel her temper boiling away.

"This is bad!" Gohan gulped. "Goten's the spitting image of Dad and Trunks clearly resembles his alternate timeline entity. Freeza's bound to recognise them and do something."

Judging by the look of contempt on the tyrant's face, Gohan was right.

"He seems upset," Goten's voice was shaky.

"Let's get out of here for the time being," Trunks didn't seem to be feeling too brave either. "It's not like either of us have been taking training lessons from our dads or anyone else lately…"

"Why did you even think it was a good idea to come here?" Gohan scolded them both. "Go – find Bulma and stay safe!"

"Tagoma! How much longer do you plan to spend the day napping?" Freeza's voice barked down towards his representative. "There is no need to hold back – you can kill those other two brats as well!"

' _Is that a frog?'_ Corset's body shuddered involuntarily. Something frog-like had bounced up to where Tagoma was crouched down. The little ray of light that shot between the two of them should have given her all the warning she needed as the frog then hopped away in a drunken-fashion – or how she imagined a drunk frog would move. Within moments Tagoma was back on his feet. Something was off. Something wasn't right about him and it took a moment for the relevant memory to pop back into her subconscious. That flash of light had been seen several times on Namek. "Gohan!"

"Sorry to have kept you both waiting," Tagoma apologised as he rose from the ground. "It's been such a long time… I have been waiting for so long." He howled with ecstatic laughter. "This is the best feeling!" With that, he launched himself into the sky – away from the Saiyan descendants and instead, towards Freeza. The pose he presented him with was a no-brainer.

"It's Ginyu!" Corset shouted. "Gohan, that's gotta be him! That frog – that's a Namekian frog!"

"I didn't think he'd still be alive!" Gohan was in awe. "Just how long has he been on Earth for?"

Corset took a small gulp. "… You remember the fight with him? Remember what Krillin and your dad said: he can't automatically draw out his new body's maximum powers. We have to beat him fast before he can get the hang of his new body."

Within a flash, the new Captain Ginyu stood before them, looking as confident as ever. "From now on, Captain Ginyu shall be your opponent." His power surged, bursting free through his aura causing the ground at his feet to buckle. The energy was fantastic, throwing dust and debris towards his two opponents. "… You two were with Vegeta, back then on Namek. I remember you both. Be ready to pay for everything you did to me on Namek!"

"We weren't Super Saiyans on Namek," Corset muttered, "and now, we're not just Super Saiyans…" She glanced over to Gohan. "Can you still do it?"

He thought he knew what she was getting at. "… Probably not for very long… and you?"

"Probably longer than you can," Corset replied. "Go as high as you can." She lowered her stance and clenched her fists. "Whatever you do, don't let him change bodies with you."

The two released their energies, forcing the ground under further strain as they responded to Ginyu's power-up. The clouds began to gather above them, the air speeding up as the wind howled and whipped about wildly. Yet they were interrupted; with a powerful kiai, Ginyu threw the two clean off their feet and threw himself towards them, landing a clean punch to both of them between the eyes. Corset scraped hard across the ground, coming to an abrupt halt with her temper blowing over. She bounced off her heels and countered with a punch of her own, clean between his eyes… but it did not have the same effect; Gunyu merely grinned and threw a palm out, smacking her back in the ribs. Corset shot back on her heels, managing to keep her balance. The pang of pain in her chest and irritation of him touching her there fuelled her anger further and with a roar, she fired off a tremendous blast. The attack exploded and threw the immediate area into a mass of light and deafening explosions.

"The Earth!" Gohan gasped, rushing over towards her. "Damn it, think about it before you go launching off attacks like that!"

"He touched my chest!" Corset blurted furiously. "No one touches me there without getting a smack in return! Damn pervert!"

The rubble began to clear, Ginyu emerging with barely a scrape. Taking a couple of steps forward casually, he still had the grin on his face. "That's it. Try more attacks like that. This new body can withstand them! What a wonderful body to have taken charge of!"

Gohan glared at him. "Stay back." He ordered her. Within seconds he had lodged his foot clean into Ginyu's stomach, landed several punches to his face and had blasted him away with a kiai of his own. The captain shot back across the ground kicking up dust. But he rose again, just as confident as before.

"That Tagoma really took a beating from Freeza if that's how strong he really was…" Corset muttered to herself. _'I wonder if his species share that power-up boost like the Saiyans do… We might be in for more of a challenge otherwise…'_

He staggered. Then he fell onto the ground, huffing and puffing away as if he'd just run around the planet in the space of a minute. The display stunned both Super Saiyans but left Gohan undeterred. "He's obviously not as strong as you give him credit for. I may be out of shape but apparently I'm still too much for you. This fight is meaningless now…"

A bolt shot through Gohan's arm, causing him to holler and drop to one knee.

Corset glared back up towards Freeza, whose arm had been extended and index finger pointed in Gohan's direction. "Cheap shot!" She snapped.

Another shot struck Gohan's shin, then another through his chest; both beams slicing directly through him. He gasped out, hand rushing to cover his new wounds which were already bleeding profusely, standing out against the green of his tracksuit. Another shot was fired but Corset deflected it, flinching and yelping out in pain. She didn't have time to dodge the next one, cutting through her right ankle and forcing her to drop to her knees. The next didn't reach her as she was pushed to the side, Gohan taking the hit and landing on his face, his hair losing its blond tint and returning to its normal appearance.

"That phrase…" Freeza grumbled. "… Your father muttered those words. You're just as soft-hearted, sparing a life. It makes me sick just thinking about it!" He fired off another couple of shots, both striking Gohan in the back, Gohan crying out once again.

The next was deflected once more, this time by an energy ball from Goten. The younger Son child raced in front of his brother, shielding him with his arms and standing defiantly. "Leave my big brother alone! He hasn't done anything to hurt you, you cheater!"

"Goten…!" Gohan croaked out. "Goten, stay back!"

Freeza pointed his finger once more.

"Hold it!" Trunks hollered, dashing forward and landing beside his best friend, helping to shield their older siblings. Unfortunately for him, Corset was still capable of using her arms to snatch him back. "Hey! Let go, Sis! How are we supposed to stop those attacks if you won't let me stand in front of you?"

Another blast shot through, striking both Brief siblings in the hand. The two recoiled away, clutching their hands in pain and smacking heads together in the process! Another blast struck Trunks clean in the back, forcing him into his face and into his sister's arms, head smacking against her stomach. Another was fired before he landed, striking Goten down onto his backside. Several more attacks began to rain down upon the group, one of them – no one initially sure who at first – attempting to put up a barrier but to no avail, as Freeza's attacks shot clean through it. Finally the shots ceased, the putrid smell of burnt flesh high in the air and very much in tune to the sensitive noses of the injured.

Corset found herself barely able to rise off the ground, wobbly at first but able to steady herself. In the corner of her eye, she could see Tagoma – or Ginyu – rising up onto his feet. Seeing him be able to get up with no cheap shots being fired towards him infuriated her. Beside her, Goten was attempting to get up, blood pouring out from his wounds and down his shirt, dripping slowly into a tiny pool below him.

Freeza was suddenly before them, out of his seat. Goten hollered out an agonising scream as the tyrant's foot slammed down upon his head, crushing it against the ground.

"Stop it!" Corset snapped horrified, launching herself off the ground – the incoming kick was a complete surprise to her in her dazed state; it was only when she hit the water she realised what'd happened and how much her jaw felt broken. Spluttering through the agony, she brought herself up to the surface just in time to hear Gohan bellow out like a wounded animal. Within the second, his energy had skyrocketed and burst free, ferocious and wild, very reminiscent of his awakenings in their youth. Then she sank below the surface once again, finding herself unable to get back up. Panic was inevitable, no matter how much she tried to fight it. Her limbs would not respond to her mind's orders, her injuries draining her of the energy she needed to surface. _'Damn it… I'm not going out like this!'_

And indeed she wasn't; something snatched hold of her arms and pulled her up and past the surface, allowing her to gasp in some much needed oxygen. Her body was shaking and failing still as she was brought over towards the shoreline, settled down and given a senzu bean. As much as she still hated the taste, she swallowed and allowed the bean to heal her, hoping that the energy boost the Saiyans seemed to get from near-death experiences would allow her to beat the living daylights out of Freeza!

Krillin stood above her, a solemn look upon his face. "Sorry I didn't get to you sooner." His attention was swiftly taken away. "Heads up!"

Another soldier was coming towards him. Krillin leapt back – Corset landed a clean kick to the stomach and grounded the incoming attacker. Her strength was back and her anger had been reignited. In the distance, Gohan had fallen once again and now lay next to the two younger demi fighters.

"Enough is enough," Corset growled. "I need to end this now!"

"No, leave it."

Surprised, Corset turned to see Goku and her father standing beside her. It was hard to hide the surprise.

"We'll take it from here," Vegeta ordered. "Corset, get yourself, Gohan and the boys out of here. None of you are in any condition to fight him."


	13. 13 - Freeza's Newfound Heights

**Chapter 13 – Freeza's Newfound Heights**

"What? I'm in perfect condition to fight him!" Corset protested, defying her father's command. "Sure I didn't expect him to be this strong but-"

"Leave, now," Goku interrupted. "Get yourselves out of here."

Corset was dumbfounded. "… Did we do something to tick you guys off? I said I'm fine to-"

"Go!"

This was met with a solid punch between the eyes. Again Corset shot back, skidding across the ground and coming to a halt. Sitting up with an odd mixture of confusion and fury on her face, Corset glared as her father drew back his fist and let it fall to the side.

"What the hell was that for? You made my nose bleed!" She snapped. "I just took a senzu bean for goodness sake!"

Goku vanished. Within a flash, he'd returned with both his sons and Trunks in tow. His eyes turned to the bald fighter amongst them. "Krillin, do you have any more senzu beans?"

"Sure," Krillin nodded, passing three beans over. Within moments, Gohan, Goten and Trunks had all been revived.

"I hate it when we have to eat those things," Trunks scrunched his nose up, deliberately avoiding his father's gaze.

"Take everyone somewhere safe, Gohan," Goku ordered. "This is our fight now."

"I said we were doing fine!" Corset protested. "Come on! We've all just had boosts from nearly being killed by him!"

"The fact you were in that position clearly shows this is none of your concern anymore," Vegeta retorted. "Leave now."

"Come on," Gohan intervened, gently grabbing onto her arm and pulling her up. He did not look happy either. "Piccolo and the others will need our help anyway from the feel of things. Let's leave this to our fathers and go."

Corset was fuming on the flight back. She made a mental note to smack her dad clean between the eyes once they were home. Hitting her in the face just to get her to leave was out of order – and unnecessary! She'd been doing alright against Freeza before they'd shown up. Sure she hadn't been winning as she'd expected but still.

By the time they reached the mass mess of limbs, things were turning worse. Behind them, Goku had taken Freeza on one-on-one. Around them, their comrades were slowly tiring out.

"Heads up!" Gohan called, launching backwards as an incoming fighter made to strike him down, missing miserably. Corset found herself having to dodge one of her own. With one swift kick she knocked the fighter back down to the ground, knocking them out. The lack of fight in these soldiers made her miserable and soon she grew tired of continuously being charged by a new opponent only to finish them off in one hit. Gohan was having similar successes nearby. Further away, Piccolo was still holding his own, Krillin was tiring but had joined forces with Tenshinhan.

On and on they kept on appearing. Corset found her mind wandering as she sent yet another soldier crashing to the ground below: was there a machine somewhere in Freeza's ship that just kept on producing more and more fighters to follow his ridiculous orders? It was never-ending. Not only was she still desperate to punch her dad back, she wanted to be finished with this fight. She was bored, she wanted to spend her weekend doing something more worthwhile but part of her figured that this was better than what she'd had planned. Fighting one-sided battles was only entertaining for so long.

Goku's energy shook the planet. The power wave struck the mass gathering of fighters knocking them back from the epicentre. His energy became difficult to ascertain, now an unmeasurable mass of power. Whatever remained of the scouters was promptly destroyed by his surge in power, though one nearby comment did pull her attention away:

"No matter, get the woman! She's got two power readings!"

Corset's head spun to see half a dozen soldiers heading straight for her. Teleporting was too embarrassing; they'd just collide together. So instead, wanting to vent out a little, she sent an invisible force of energy their way, knocking them all out. Fighting these guys was far too easy, far too mundane.

Two power readings. The morons probably got muddled up with the sudden fluctuations thinking she was weaker then stronger. No doubt the others had caused them all the same grief.

About five minutes later (or maybe it was twenty, Corset was so uninterested by now she couldn't tell), Goku's energy all but vanished. Again the few remaining battles stopped, eyes glancing over to the larger fight to the east.

Gohan blasted away a particularly strong fighter, Piccolo close to him. Both seasoned fighters looked over in the direction of the battle, neither saying anything at first. It was Krillin who broke the silence: "What just happened to Goku's energy?"

As in on cue, Freeza's energy magnified, suddenly gaining a horrifying characteristic.

"No way!" Corset cried. If she was sensing what she thought she was sensing then she really had been a moron earlier. Freeza's energy was no longer able to be accurately measured. Something about it made it seem…

"His energy feels like… Dad's…" Gohan breathlessly murmured. "… Piccolo, what's going on?"

"I-It's like Goku's when he transforms into that Super S-Saiyan God thing," Krillin shivered. "… What has Freeza been up to?"

"He never showed us anything like this on Namek," Corset gulped. They needed to be finished here and now. This was too good an opportunity to miss what was really going on to the east. Taking a quick count, there were around forty or so soldiers left.

"Everyone come together!" Gohan hollered. Corset did as instructed without much thought, side-by side with him in a flash, joined by Piccolo, Krillin and Tenshinhan to form a five-person ring, surrounded on all sides by the remainder of the soldiers.

"You morons!" One soldier cracked, firing off a single shot from his energy launcher.

"Like sitting ducks!" Another bellowed enthusiastically, launching himself towards them.

Tenshinhan deflected the oncoming energy attack, striking the incoming fighter and burning him to a cinder.

The rest charged all together – none firing energy attacks in fear of a similar fate to their comrade.

Corset charged up her power, transforming into her Super Saiyan form. With an animalistic roar she threw a vast amount of energy out in all directions, deflecting each and every soldier back in a blinding flash of yellow light. Within that moment, their job was done.

Soldiers defeated, now was the time to relocate to another destination. Piccolo led the group eastbound, all keeping their senses peeled on the combatants ahead. It was ridiculously hard trying to keep track of god-like energies because of their peculiar characteristics and their immeasurable strength. As they drew closer, the occasional flash and darkening of the sky before them went off, several waves of power buffeted them and many explosions rocked them.

At last, they arrived. Landing in unison upon the marshy ground (now heavily littered with holes from missed attacks), they were ignored by the battle's previously lone spectator. Vegeta kept his back to them, eyes far too interested in the battle occurring over the sea before them.

"How's Dad doing?" Gohan asked.

"He's winning," Vegeta answered not bothering to turn an inch.

"Oh my…" Krillin was unable to finish his sentence, body sent into an involuntary shiver. "Look what's happened to them both!"

He had good reason to be startled. Corset could just about keep up with their movements but it registered mostly as a blue blur and a separate golden blur. At first she'd assumed the golden blur was Goku. Then, in a small break, she realised exactly who it was. The blue blur – now revealed to be a blue aura alongside bright blue hair – belonged to Goku.

Freeza looked nothing much like his previous forms. The colour palette had gone in a random direction too. Throughout his prior form changes, Freeza had always retained mostly pinkish limbs with a white face and torso, a random purple blob on the top of his scalp. That theme had gone out the window with this new form they now witnessed. He physically was the same shape as that of his final form. Yet for starters, the white pigmentation of his skin in his final form had completely gone and had been replaced by a golden hue, reflective with the sun's rays dancing off of him. The parts of him that had been purple remained purple but had new additions; the edges of his limbs and the middle of his face now joining the list of purple features.

The form looked very showy to Corset. Then again, what wasn't showy about the Super Saiyan form, or the Super Saiyan God form? Both were pretty flamboyant alterations to the user. Both also seemed to boost the capabilities of the user too, as was about to become horrifically evident.

Goku was perfectly capable of defending himself and seemed to be doing a pretty good job against this golden Freeza; it was far more concerning to realise just how much she would not have stood a chance had she been allowed to continue her fight. It was infuriatingly terrifying. The two moved at such a pace now, it was difficult to spot their aura blurs let alone their physical forms. So she resigned herself to dealing with her inadequacy, waiting for the point where the stalemate would be broken and one of them would inevitably plummet to the ground.

Her wish came pretty quickly, spotting the golden blur shooting towards them at a terrifying pace.

"MOVE!" Gohan hollered. They moved. They barely moved out of the way before Freeza halted, inches from them and the ground below. His eyes moved sharply, his fist effortlessly driving forward, striking Gohan clean in the chin. The move caused the man's head to shoot dangerously, yanking his body along with it at such unnatural force, Corset almost sensed the exact point where the strain became too much for his body to handle. By the time she'd screamed out his name and had thought to move towards him, Freeza had disappeared, teleporting within an instant.

"Gohan! Gohan!" She shouted, not daring to touch him in fear she'd wreck him further; a broken neck or spine was something that did enough damage just by being without someone then forcing further damage to it. His life force had plummeted within that moment, laying lifeless upon the ground.

"Here!" Krillin dug into his shirt, taking out a familiar bag and tossing it straight to Corset.

"Thanks," Corset's hand dived into the bag, snatching for one of the few lumps within it and shoving the bean into Gohan's mouth. She gently positioned her hands on his jaw to help him chew (something he clearly wasn't in a state to do by himself), reluctantly trying to shift the bean down into his throat and rolling his head delicately back. _'Please don't let this be too late.'_ She couldn't bear the thought of losing her childhood friend, or having to tell the mother of his newly-born daughter that he'd slipped away from them and that they'd have to gather the Dragonballs to wish him back. At least he could be wished back with Earth's Dragonballs – one of the few in their group lucky enough to still have that going for them. Most of them – including herself – would and could only be wished back using Namek's Dragonballs, providing the Namekians would allow for it of course.

The seconds passed, all the while Goku and Freeza's fight continued. Corset didn't care about that right now, her eyes pinned on his face, waiting for any signs of life to come. His pulse was weak, breathing barely there…

"Out of the way." Piccolo stepped forward and knelt beside the two of them, placing his palm on Gohan's chest. With a jolt of his arm, Piccolo transferred some of his ki through to the fallen demi-Saiyan.

A stronger beat. A burst of energy lunged forward, rejuvenating his life force. Corset sighed in relief. Within moments, his eyes were wide open and he was rising to his feet, albeit Gohan did give his chin a good rub.

"Thank Krillin for bringing senzu beans," Corset explained after noticing the quizzical look on his features. "And Piccolo for giving you some extra life." She tossed the senzu bag back to Krillin, who caught it with ease.

"… Did you get a feel of it, Gohan?" Krillin asked anxiously.

"Sure did," Gohan nodded solemnly. "… Not even Buu could hold a candle to power like that."

"So it's as we feared," Piccolo grimly frowned. "Freeza really has found a way to seek his revenge… What did you think of it, Gohan?"

The academic hesitated before answering. "It's hard to say without being punched by Dad. His power was unlike anything I've ever sensed before… but with them having god-like powers, I can't make an accurate assessment and comparison."

So the group of spectators were left to speculate and watch as Goku and Freeza continued their battle. From what little they could see, the two still seemed to be evenly paced. It was only when Vegeta mentioned "Kakarrot's got him on the ropes" that the others had any indication of the balance in power. Even then it came as a surprise that the Saiyan Prince could come to that conclusion.

"How do you know?" Krillin asked edgily, waiting to be yelled at for being incompetent in the Saiyan Prince's eyes.

"Instinct," Vegeta answered dryly. Corset suspected her father wasn't being altogether truthful with them but let it slide as Goku successfully sent Freeza soaring away again, chasing after him and decking him down towards the sea. The tyrant crashed with an almighty pillar of water reaching high towards the stratosphere. The slap of the water alone made Corset cringe.

A shot fired out of her peripheral vision. The beam of energy darted, piercing Goku clean through the chest.

The blue pigmentation of his hair vanished the moment the beam cleared his body, continuing on its journey towards the higher reaches of the atmosphere. The Saiyan's hair fell back to it's normal state, held there momentarily before rushing up, the body of the Saiyan unable to keep itself airborne.

"Goku!" Krillin cried.

Goku crashed onto the ground below, inches from the spectators.

Freeza emerged from the waters. His focus was not on his opponent as he made his way over to dry land; his eyes were on something to their left and his right. Corset followed his trail and spotted another alien quite some distance from them. How had she not noticed him here before – assuming the alien was in fact a he and not a member of a hermaphrodite population. Before they knew it, the golden warrior hovered over their fallen representative. A bad decision on their part to not come towards him sooner. None dared move. Corset couldn't help but feel a horrid sense of the past creeping back up on them. It brought back a vivid memory of when Freeza had beaten the will out of her father and tortured him in front of them, even going so far as to goad her to attempt to save him.

"… You get to live only because you didn't kill him," Freeza muttered, eyes still glancing right. They shifted down to the Saiyan before him. One foot stamped upon the Saiyan's ribs, causing a muffled cry to spill out. From the corner of her eye, Corset saw Gohan's fists tighten, saw the muscles flex underneath his clothes. Still no one dared get any closer. Freeza's eyes moved again, centred and staring straight at the group before him, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "How about it then, Vegeta?"

' _What's he getting at?'_ Corset was confused.

"Let's make a deal," Freeza chuckled, again forcing his foot into Goku's ribs and causing more discomfort and pain. "I'll spare you your life if you kill the Saiyan here. You always wanted to kill him, didn't you?"

"He wouldn't dare!" Corset spat.

"He's playing us for fools!" Piccolo snarled furiously. "Of course he won't spare his life."

"Piccolo's right," Krillin agreed. "Freeza made a deal with the Namekians to spare their lives for their Dragonball – then ended up killing them anyway! What could have changed since then?"

It disturbed Corset that her father had remained silent and indifferent the whole time. His quiet demeanour made her wonder if he was seriously considering Freeza's offer. "Don't do it," She mumbled quietly.

Freeza chuckled, revelling in the panic within the group. "The choice is yours. Either he dies by my hand, or he dies by your hand. The only difference is the latter means you live. Take it."

"I don't need to," Vegeta responded, arms still folded. "In fact I have a better idea. Instead of killing Kakarrot, I'll kill you."

Freeza cackled with laughter, wiping the loose tear that threatened to spill from his eye. "Of all the retort, you still honestly believe you stand a chance against me? Haven't we been here before? You haven't changed a bit. You clearly don't remember what happened the last time we fought. It ended with you breaking down in tears before I made you suffer. Do you have memory issues in your older age, Vegeta?"

"The memory's still fresh in my mind," Vegeta let his arms fall to his sides. "… I guess I owe you payback."

"Are you seriously going to do this?" Gohan asked concerned.

Freeza floated forwards, closer to the group. "… Fine. You lost your chance to escape with your life."

"As have you," Vegeta clenched his fists, altering his stance and putting up his guard. The ground below their feet began to shift, quickly becoming much more violent in its shudders and breaking under the pressure. The ocean before them reacted and began to retreat. Behind the shorter Saiyan, the others began to back off, sensing the rapid build-up of his battle strength. Corset found herself having to lower herself to keep her balance, shocked by how far her father's energy was rising – and still it kept on growing and growing to the point it passed the line, blurring into the undetectable field of a god-like aura.

' _No way…!'_ It was hard to hide her shock.

Vegeta's voice was drowned out by the roar of his energy and the thunder of the ground, hair flashing a blood red momentarily before flashing blue, muscles mysteriously shrinking despite the influx of energy they must have been receiving until his body became engulfed in a fiery blue aura. Within that moment, the pressure upon the ground and in the air and within the waves came to a halt. The loose fragments of dirt and water rained down upon them, oblivious to the form they fell upon.


	14. 14 - Meddling with Time

**Chapter 14 – Meddling with Time**

"Y-You!" Freeza screeched, eyes wide and jaw open. "You too?"

"Yes," Vegeta nodded, his trademark smirk unusually absent from his face. It didn't take long for it to break through, delighting in the shock he'd caused the tormentor of his youth. "You're finished, Freeza."

"Vegeta's a… that!" Krillin shivered. "I didn't know he could reach that transformation too!"

"I knew he could become a Super Saiyan God because we all saw him do it…" Gohan was awestruck. "… but I had no idea about this form. Dad and Vegeta must have found this form – whatever it is – during their training with Whis."

"Krillin," Vegeta called calmly. "Give Kakarrot a senzu bean before he passes onto the next life!"

"Oh… R-Right…" Krillin eyed up Freeza anxiously, letting his eyes fall down towards his fallen childhood friend. Bravery managed to prevail against fear and he darted forward as fast as he could.

Freeza lashed out with one arm extended, a single finger pointing directly towards the bald fighter's head.

The blast did not reach him. It was incredibly difficult to see but from what Corset could tell, her father had deflected the attack, suddenly stood between the two. The blast had missed its original target but still managed to claim a life, instead colliding with the subordinate that'd struck Goku unaware. With a horrid explosion and the sickening smell of burning flesh, the subordinate was deceased.

"H-He managed to outrun Freeza's attack," Piccolo gasped. "That's the same move he used against me while on Namek!"

' _It's the same move he used to kill Dende, Piccolo… and me.'_ Corset was hit by a sudden urge to burst into tears. The last time she'd seen that attack… well, she hadn't really seen it and when she knew about it, she was pretty much on death's door.

"I didn't even see him get there," Gohan choked out.

"Go," Vegeta spoke, having noticed Krillin had stopped out of shock. He kept his eyes on his opponent, hearing Krillin's feet shift across the ground behind him. Within moments the Saiyan had launched himself towards Freeza.

Krillin shuffled closer to Goku's downed state. To his surprise the Saiyan was still conscious and even able to keep eye-contact with him! "Hey there, buddy," Krillin greeted him pitifully, reaching back into his shirt and taking the senzu bag out. "Don't worry, I've got something that'll fix you up nicely." He pulled out a senzu bean.

"Thanks Krillin," Goku happily accepted the senzu bean as it was dropped past his lips, chewing upon the small pulse and swallowing. Within seconds the life within him was restored, the warmth of his body returning as the blood stemmed and stopped its flow, the throbbing in his chest and ribs immediately subsiding.

Ahead of them, out to sea, Vegeta and Freeza were moving about rapidly. To compare it to lightning would not do them justice because not even lightning could keep up with them. Not only was it difficult to see, it was also difficult to sense what was going on.

"God-like transformations are a pain to follow," Krillin grumbled as he and Goku made their way back towards the others.

"Really? It's not so hard to follow once you get the hang of it," Goku responded chipper. "Can't you sense the disturbance their movement causes in the air?"

"I can but I can't register it fast enough!" Krillin retorted indignantly. "Darn it Goku, you make everything sound so easy! You've gotta remember you're one of the strongest people here and that we will find things harder to do!"

"Sorry, I've just gotten so used to being able to detect it since Whis has been training us," Goku apologised.

"Would I be right in assuming you can tell who is winning?" Piccolo asked with a chuckle.

"Sure," Goku nodded. "Vegeta's got this no problem. Freeza really is incredible as a fighter. If he can achieve this much strength after training for such a short period of time, imagine what he could achieve in the future! Too bad he insists on trying to hurt people."

Another bang went off, a blur shot across the sky and slammed into the ground metres from where the crowd stood. It was difficult to see but Corset could see Freeza had been outdone once again. Her father landed a few metres from the fallen tyrant. As the dust cleared, it became apparent that the fallen villain had lost his golden hue and had returned back to the ice-white shade reminiscent of their days on Namek.

Freeza was in deep, deep trouble.

Her father moved in for the kill, extending one hand out towards him. A ball of ki started to form agonisingly slowly, Corset feeling the breath in her throat hitch.

"DAMN IT!" Freeza hollered.

The ground shuddered violently. Below his hands, the ground had lit up and had started to shift, cracking and crumbling as the bright light grew more and more blinding.

"Whis!" Came a voice.

Corset recognised that voice and amidst the rising heat of the air around her, felt a shiver run down her spine as Whis followed Birus' instruction and surrounded the observers in an energy barrier. The flash outside pierced through the translucent shield, burning her eyes and reducing her to a collapsed heap on the ground. _'Damn that hurt!'_ It felt as if she'd just stared at the sun, or be hit by the effects of a Tayo-Ken. Slowly the pain died down and she found herself able to open her eyes once again.

They were in the middle of space, surrounded by a mass of rock spread out across their field of vision, as far as the eye could see. It took a moment for her to realise what'd happened and when it did, Corset was glad she was as close to the ground as she was. Otherwise she feared she would have collapsed hard.

"The Earth blew up…" She mumbled, unaware of what everyone else was doing. She could register Krillin saying something and Gohan falling silent and her mother wailing (when had she even gotten here?) and all she could think of was Soba and the fact he was dead because Earth had been destroyed by Freeza. That must have meant her father had also died because he hadn't been in this mysterious orb that'd somehow protected them from the explosion.

"Freeza won," Birus' voice cut through her thoughts like a knife. "His race can survive in space."

"Yes," Whis nodded in agreement.

"Damn, I should have beaten Freeza when I had the chance," Goku looked forlorn. "I wasn't serious enough, I let him do this!"

"None of us were able to stop him from blowing the Earth up," Piccolo responded solemnly. "You can't blame yourself."

"No, Goku is right. He should have been more serious…" Whis glanced down at the shorter being to his left. "… Shall I?" He asked.

Birus snorted. "… It can't be helped. Whis, use it."

Corset stood and watched as Goku muttered something about a do-over. Whis nodded, seemingly pleased that Goku had apparently remembered whatever it was they were referring to.

And then the view outside went strange, turning a dull sepia-tone-like shade. The rocks stopped and then started to float in the opposite direction, moving faster and faster until they were obscured by a blinding flash… and then the world was as it had been, her father and Freeza were there once again, Freeza down on the ground and at his mercy.

The shade faded, true colour restored as the shield Whis had created vanished, no longer offering the protection from Freeza's imminent attack.

' _Was that… time travel?'_ This was news to Corset. She almost missed Goku lunge forward and holler out Freeza's name, firing off a Kamehameha directly towards him and Vegeta! The ground immediately shuddered and cracked under their feet, the blue beam throwing whatever was left of the tyrant straight into the cold reaches of space until his life force once again vanished. The Kamehameha left the atmosphere and slowly vanished out from view, dying in a small glimmer of light.

It took a while for the revelation to hit, even when her father (who had teleported out of harm's way so it seemed) had started to yell at Goku for stealing his victory. They were safe. They were all safe and he was alive.

"It's ok, Vegeta!" Her mother was shouting. "Goku saved you and the Earth!"

That was true, Corset thought as slowly the things going on around her started to overshadow the inner thoughts of her head.

"What was that?" Gohan had asked. "Did we just travel back through time?"

"Yeah," Goku nodded. "Whis can take us back and undo things."

"It's a little crude a way of putting it," Whis flinched a little, "but yes, I have the ability to reverse time – for when incorrect actions have been taken." The last part was spoken as a whisper, "Occasionally Birus may make an unwise decision so it is up to myself as his mentor to make sure these mistakes are rectified and learnt from… I can take us back as far as three minutes, which is my limit."

"That's a pretty impressive and useful ability to have," Gohan seemed awestruck. "Thank you. Because of your actions, my wife and newborn daughter are safe."

"What a pathetic ending," Birus muttered scratching the back of his head. "the Hakaishin ended up regenerating a planet!"

"Well the good news is it means I can prepare a feast for the two of you," Bulma pointed out with a smile.

Whis grinned, "I look forward to it! I turned back time just for the food!"

' _Just for the food?'_ Corset felt a cold feeling sweep over her. Suddenly things had gotten rather uncomfortable around Whis.

"Jaco," Bulma continued, "are you sure you don't need to arrest him? Time control is a serious crime, isn't it?"

The little alien seemed unfazed by this – although to be fair, Corset wasn't sure what other expressions his kind were capable of. "I didn't see anything." Was his response.

* * *

The first thing she did when she got home was wrap her arms around him with no explanation. Naturally this was met with a confused and agitated response from Soba.

"Sorry, I almost lost you today," Corset apologised. Now she thought about it, perhaps she'd been too thoughtless and had put a little too much strength into it. He was only a brittle, regular human being after all and she could easily crush him without meaning to.

"What?" Soba glanced perplexed at her. "… I take it those weren't just earthquakes this afternoon then?"

"Nope, that was Freeza," Corset shook her head. The look on his face made her continue. "He's an alien, was hell-bent on ruling the galaxy and had loads of followers. We beat him back on Namek about nineteen years ago? My brother from another timeline then killed him about seventeen years ago? I thought I'd told you about him…"

"Him could mean several people at this point," Soba grumbled. "… I'm gonna need to sit down for this, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Corset nodded. "I could have sworn I'd told you about Freeza and Namek…"

And so the two of them sat for a good half an hour as Corset explained why they'd had to travel to a distant planet, what had happened when they'd arrived, who Freeza was and why he had such an influence on what'd happened to her father and Goku, what'd happened when they'd fought him and then how her brother from another time had come back and killed Freeza and his father. Then she explained briefly why her brother had come back from another time – at which point Soba cut her off.

"You look pale."

Corset stopped, suddenly feeling very self-conscious over her complexion. "… I do?"

"Why would I say it if you didn't?" Soba flatly responded.

"Because you're an ass," Corset's brows dropped over her eyes. "Can you blame me? I just spent the day fighting and watching the Earth be destroyed and regenerated and trying to deal with Dad and Goku suddenly being so much stronger than the last time we saw them – which is a good thing… but…"

Soba exhaled loudly and shuffled a little closer. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry for being observant… but you do look pale and it's hard not to notice how much more positive you've been sounding about work over the past few months so obviously you enjoy your martial arts thing... You seem happier. Or you did anyway."

Corset was stumped. "… Seriously, you're an ass!" She abruptly rose from her chair and stormed out the room, sensing the annoyance radiating from him and feeling it bounce off her back. Her anger bubbled and she turned on the spot. "What the hell is that even supposed to mean? You tell me I look pale and now you're saying I'm miserable to be around? Of course I enjoy my new job but I'm not gonna be there forever, am I? And for your information, maybe I'm looking pale because I thought I'd lost you today as well as the majority of my family as well as my friends, so it's perfectly fine for me to look a little off-colour!"

"And irrationally cross," Soba added.

She was spitting venom through her eyes… and apparently out of her stomach from the feel of things. If it decided to come up at least she'd have something acceptable to throw in his general direction. How did he manage to make her so angry so quickly? "I. Am not. Cross."

"You're not?" He rhetorically snorted.

"No, I'm not," Corset growled. "… I'm just tired. I'm going to bed."

Soba watched her vanish from the room resentfully. It wasn't his fault he'd apparently been killed and then brought back by some magical ability, what was he supposed to do? But he was observant and he had been observing her over the past few weeks. Something had off-set her, something had caused a slight change in her. He couldn't be sure it wasn't just her job change and how her mother had reacted to the news – Corset annoyingly hadn't talked about that part so he could only assume it hadn't gone well. It was hard to be supportive when she wouldn't let him be. It was hard enough being supportive when his job was as demanding as it was.

He wandered into the living room and turned on his computer, not having to wait long to start his search. Regardless of what she said, she was getting cross with him and seemed moodier than normal and he was going to find out why, so he could help her stop being such a jackass towards him, otherwise they may as well just forget being together.

* * *

"That ass!" Bulma was screaming. "How dare he just up and leave like this again!"

"Because that's what Dad does," Trunks muttered through his toast. "He goes off and does whatever he wants, then he comes back for a bit. Goten's dad does it too… You've been friends forever and you don't know this?"

Bulma shot him a look. "Watch that lip young man or I'll start cutting your allowance again."

Trunks rolled his eyes, blue orbs falling over towards his older sister standing in the doorway. "Since when were you here?"

Bulma's head spun, a smile creeping across her face. "It's alright. Your dad's not here so he can't kill Soba."

"Why would Dad wanna do that?" Trunks asked, intrigued.

"Because your sister has some big news," Bulma grinned.


	15. 15 - The Rivalry Between Universes

**Chapter 15 – The Rivalry between Universes**

Age 779, December 5th

"They're back!" Trunks had shouted, bursting into the room. "Dad and Goten's Dad – they're back!"

"What?" Soba's eyebrows raised, skin paling. The cup containing coffee slipped from his hand and smashed upon the balcony floor, making the five of them jump. Quickly Mrs Brief rushed out of her seat and began to clean the spillage up.

"What a surprise," Dr Brief seemed indifferent as he rose from his chair. "I suppose we'd better go and see them then. Do you need any help?"

"Me or Nana?" Corset asked.

"You," Dr Brief answered, glancing over towards his granddaughter as his wife mentioned something about getting a cloth to wipe up the spillage and dashed to the kitchen.

"Let me," Soba offered.

"I can manage," Corset shooed away his hand with hers, rising out of her chair using the arms for support. The two walked behind her as she strode through the living room, picking up on her father and Goku's ki signals. Apparently Trunks wasn't having them on about this, she was surprised.

The walk to the labs was a long one but fortunately they had the lift to take them down into the basement levels, where their friends and Bulma apparently were located. Seeing the two Saiyans standing in the building (with Piccolo for some reason – when had he arrived?) brought back a sense of longing for Corset, resenting the position she was currently in.

"Why do you want another Dragonball Radar?" Trunks was asking.

"Well, we met another Hakaioshin who says that in his universe, they have Dragonballs the size of planets," Goku explained. "If they win, they get to move our Earth over to his universe. So we need to look to see if there are any Dragonballs the size of planets in our universe too."

"Ok, I did not understand a word of that, Goku." Piccolo berated him. "We need more detail than that to go on – all I've seen you do is ask Bulma to make another radar to find these supposed special Dragonballs! Why am I even here?"

"I'll explain," Vegeta cut in before Goku could. "In short, Birus' has a twin: Champa. He is the Hakaioshin of the Sixth Universe; we reside in the Seventh Universe. For reference, there are twelve in all. The Sixth and Seventh mirror one another and come as a set and it turns out that the Sixth no longer has an Earth with human inhabitants. The Sixth Hakaioshin wishes to transfer Earth to his universe so he can gain access to Earth's cuisine for himself and has collected six of the seven Super Dragonballs of his universe in order to make the move. Before he can collect all seven and make his wish, he needs to find his best five warriors of his universe and pit them against the strongest five warriors of this universe – and then win. He has already collected six of these Super Dragonballs."

"Super Dragonballs…" Piccolo seemed awestruck. "… It's unbelievable such a thing would exist."

"Well, regardless of that…" Whis interrupted. "Vegeta, I fear that perhaps your explanation needs a little tweaking. For those who were not aware, the Hakaioshins of the Sixth and Seventh compete with one another. It used to be through hand-to-hand combat but alas, we had to put a stop to that after a number of planets were unfairly erased. So now, the two brothers compete through eating competitions or, more specifically, trumping the other by finding a more delicious food. Lord Birus shared with Lord Champa the instant ramen which Lord Champa has taken a liking to. This is why he would now like to swap his universe's Earth for this one. He has gone so far as to challenge Lord Birus to a tournament – of course neither Hakaioshin will fight but will be represented by five warriors of his universe.

"As for the Super Dragonballs, I am aware that if this universe defeats the Sixth, Lord Champa will pass on the six Super Dragonballs he has already collected… The reason behind this is currently unclear, however if he wins and manages to collect all seven, he will likely use his wish to transfer this Earth to his Universe."

"That's a lot to take in," Corset grumbled.

"So we figured that Piccolo and Buu and you guys would be interested in taking part in the tournament," Goku smiled, eyes scanning the room.

"Looks like we have one less option," Vegeta glared, crossing his arms. "We cannot take a fighter in her condition."

He was of course referring to his daughter, who stood before them with one hand on her enlarged stomach, looking rather indignant at the comment. Corset glared icily back at him. "And why can't you take a fighter in my condition?"

Vegeta looked as if she was asking a rhetorical question.

"Careful," Bulma mumbled quietly but loud enough for her husband to hear.

But the Prince was not deterred. "Well, either you are expecting a brat, or you've let yourself go so far as to turn into a blimp."

"Shut up!" Corset hollered, face turning a dark scarlet. "So what if I'm pregnant? I can still fight! I wanna fight! I'll happily beat your sorry head into the ground!"

"Too much excitement isn't good for our baby," Soba interrupted, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. "All kidding aside, she has been pretty antsy to fight something over the past few days."

"Of course she has – she has Saiyan blood in her veins," Vegeta responded. "It'll no doubt start to overpower those Earthling genes."

"I hate to break it to you, Vegeta, but it may not necessarily be the Saiyan genes in her," Bulma cut in annoyed. "Not that you would know, of course! You weren't around for her birth or when Trunks was born."

"Chichi was pretty wild too," Goku mused. "She used to hit me a lot but I could take it. Something about hormones?"

"If we can get back on topic," Piccolo intervened looking rather uncomfortable. "These five warriors you speak of to enter this tournament. Who did you have in mind?"

"Well you, obviously," Goku answered. "Of course Vegeta and me are gonna enter. Then I figured someone like Buu. I was considering Corset too but… it doesn't look like she can fight for us."

"I see," Piccolo's features were hardened with a smile. "In that case, count me in. But who will be the fifth fighter? Gohan has started to train but he's not ready for such a challenge, while the other two boys seem to have lost their likeness for battle. None of the other Earthlings would pose much of a threat to whoever Universe Six's Hakaioshin finds if it's going to be as tough as I think."

"Hey!" Bulma frowned, hands rising to rest on her hips. "Don't go underestimating us Earthlings! I'll set my son on you and see how you fare against a Saiyan-Earthling child!"

"I'm thirteen, I'm not a kid," Trunks grumbled. "Besides, who says Goten and I wouldn't want to take part? Let us!"

"No, not if you're relying on fusion," Vegeta shook his head gruffly. "Learn to fight using your own power."

"Don't worry about the fifth fighter," Goku broke through the tension with a reassuring smile. "Birus said he was gonna find someone to fill that gap – someone who's meant to be even stronger than the two of us!"

"It's infuriating how happy saying that makes you sound," Vegeta folded his arms.

' _Someone even stronger than Goku and Dad?'_ Corset's interest had been roused. _'Dammit, why'd I have to be pregnant now? This sounds like it could have been fun!'_

"Anyway," Goku continued, eyes falling back towards Bulma. "Would you be able to make a Dragonball Radar to find the planet-sized Dragonballs?"

"As long as the energy they let off is the same as our Dragonballs then sure," Bulma nodded confidently. "Just give me half a day and I'll be done." Her eyes shifted a little. "Trunks, fancy helping out and showing everyone what I've been teaching you?"

Trunks did not look enthusiastic. "… If I must."

* * *

True to her word, it only took Bulma half a day to get a new Dragonball Radar made. She invited everyone back into the lab as the sun set, proudly displaying the new gadget. "There we go. The new Dragonball Radar's finished." She held a disk in her hand, about the size as a steering wheel. The outer circumference was opaque whilst the majority of the device was translucent. It looked like the old radar only with handles to keep a grip on it; the device itself was far bigger than the old one.

"Whoa, that was fast!" Goku exclaimed, taking the device from her and giving it a good look. "You rock, Bulma! Thanks!"

"So I was wondering," Bulma took a sip of coffee from her cup upon her desk. "Surely our universe ought to have these planet-sized Dragonballs. You said our universe was like a mirror of the Sixth after all."

"That should be correct," Vegeta responded. "In that case, we ought to find the Super Dragonballs first before entering the tournament."

"If we even have them," Corset interjected. "It might be that we lost them to something catastrophic the same way there are no Earthlings living on Sixth's Earth."

"It's a passing thought but there's only one way to know," Bulma mused.

"Hey, Bulma, are you sure this thing works?" Goku asked worried, fiddling about with the new radar. "Nothing's popping up on the screen…"

"Yeah, Trunks and I looked earlier to see if there would be anything there," Bulma placed her cup down. "I figured at least one ought to pop up on the radar, but…"

"Does that mean it does not work? Or that we have no Super Dragonballs in this universe?" Piccolo asked, not expecting an answer as no one in this room likely knew the answer.

"Well, the thing is Earth is actually on the edge of our universe," Bulma explained. "Our location is less than ideal for a proper search. You'd need to head towards the centre of the universe to get a better idea whether or not any Super Dragonballs exist in this universe."

"No spaceship of Mama's is gonna get you there quick enough," Corset added. "…and unless you know anyone out there and can sense them from here, Goku's Instant Transmission isn't gonna work either."

"We could always ask Whis," Goku suggested, turning and then double-taking. "Huh? He's not here!" Indeed the assistant to Birus had vanished without having said anything.

"Of course not," Bulma frowned. "I had to disappoint him by not providing him with my company and a few treats, so he left. You can't expect him to stay around when the only reason he'd come to Earth would be to spend time with me trying the wonderful food."

"Out of interest, do you guys even know why they are collecting these Super Dragonballs?" Soba asked.

Neither Goku nor Vegeta could provide an adequate answer other than they could potentially use it to bring Earth to their universe.

"Soba makes a good point," Bulma perked up. "You told us they'd already collected six of their balls before they came to visit Birus… so surely they must already have something else in mind? This plan is beginning to sound fishy…"

"So we have no way of getting to the centre of this universe in time?" Piccolo frowned. "How long did you say we had, Goku?"

"Five Earth days," Vegeta answered as Goku struggled to recall. "Darn it, it would have been handy to have had at least one of these Super Dragonballs by the time the tournament started, just to confirm their existence."

"Yeah, that's a disappointment," Goku agreed. "I guess we ought to focus on the fight then… what a shame. It would have been like old times getting to look for some Dragonballs – plus think of all the new places we would have gone to in space! Can you imagine if we came across that super stronger fighter Birus was talking about! I wonder who they could be and how strong they really are. I've been itching for another fight ever since we defeated Freeza, someone who will be a real big challenge!"

"Jaco!" Corset gasped. "Mama, do we have any way of getting in touch with Jaco? He works for the Galactic Patrol, right? Surely he might know someone who may know something about the Super Dragonballs?"

"It's worth a try," Bulma whipped out her phone from her jeans pocket and began dialling. "I'll see if I can get hold of Tights."

"Who's that?" Goku asked.

"You don't know Tights?" Corset raised her eyebrows. "That's weird. How have you never met my auntie? She's Mama's older sister."

"Older sister?" Goku gaped. "Really?"

"And you've known her for how long?" Trunks retorted.

* * *

The call didn't last long, it never did between these two sisters. Bulma reported back that it would take Jaco just under an hour to reach Earth from his current location and that Tights would get in touch with him as soon as she was able to. So the group moved back into the living room and settled down, waiting anxiously for any sign of Jaco's craft approaching.

"I didn't even know you had a sister…" Goku mused in awe.

"It's never come up in conversation before," Bulma replied. "She writes sci-fi novels for a living. It's a far cry from what Dad and I do but then again, I was always the more talented one. I'd built a ray-gun by the age of five and was able to fix and fly Jaco's spaceship within a flash!"

Quickly the time passed and fifty minutes later, an eerie screech could be heard from outside, growing louder and louder.

"Someone's coming," Piccolo muttered, rising from his position on the floor. "Could this be the one we're waiting for?"

"It feels like Jaco's ki," Corset nodded.

And so the group made it outside (the majority of them leaping over the edge of the balcony, much to Bulma's dismay!) and settled down on the grassy lawn. True enough, something bright was heading towards them, growing larger and larger until it became clear it was indeed some kind of vehicle. The craft grew larger and louder still, suddenly slowing and making its final descent onto the lawn with a gentle hum. Once the engines had died down, the glass casing of the cockpit rose and out jumped the small alien who'd helped fight against Freeza's minions a few months ago.

"Do you have any idea of how busy I am?" Jaco huffed, marching his way over towards the group. He seemed ticked off. "I'm a member of an elite team in the Galactic Patrol! I can't keep on pushing my missions aside to accommodate your needs! Stop calling me out on a whim!"

"Nevermind that," Bulma matched his temperament. "I can assure you this is something that the Hakaioshin would be interested to know about! Now, do you know a way to get to the centre of the Universe? I don't mean the centre of the Milky Way, but the actual centre of the entire Universe."

"What are you, stupid?" Jaco spluttered. "Do you even realise how ludicrously huge the Milky Way is? Countless numbers of planets and stars and matter is fitted into it – and the Universe is filled with thousands upon thousands of galaxies like it! Who in their right mind would know how to get to that?"

"So it was no use asking you then?" Corset frowned annoyed. "Geez, if you're really having trouble with your missions then we'll happily rent these guys out for services and you can be done with them in no time!"

"Are you sure you don't know someone who might?" Bulma ignored her daughter's rant. "Think, Jaco. You must know someone who could help us?"

The little alien seemed to give it some thought. After a moment, he spoke in a much calmer manner than before. "Zunou might…"

"Zunou?" Bulma repeated. "Never heard of him."

"Of course you haven't," Jaco crossed his arms. "Zunou is a mysterious individual and possibly omniscient. He can even tell you the colour of someone's underwear he's never met before."

"So could he know about the Super Dragonballs?" Bulma probed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about but maybe."

The wind was beginning to bite at Corset's arms and someone was growing grumpy inside her, starting to kick at her ribs.

"We need to see this guy now," Bulma decided. "Can you take us to him?"

"Fine, if I must… it's not like I have a choice in the matter, do I? I can only fit one extra person in my ship," Jaco replied.

"Fine, I'll go with you then," Bulma walked towards the small craft, clambering into it with Jaco's help. As they readied themselves, Vegeta mysteriously made a move towards them, stopping a foot or so away from the craft.

"Don't try anything funny with Bulma," He warned.

The look on Jaco's face was priceless. If Corset was reading his emotions correctly (and it was hard to do so with a face like his) then he had absolutely no idea or intension to even entertain the idea… and her mother didn't take kindly to that as she slapped him around the back of the head and ordered him to get going! The panel of the cockpit sealed shut and the craft shot off into the darkening sky.

She was still trying to get over her dad being protective over her mother when she was assaulted in the bladder, a la unborn infant's kick. The force made her legs clamp shut and she doubled over. "Damn it, can this be over yet? I'm tired of being beaten up internally every damn hour of the day! I wanna take it out on something!"

"Three more weeks to go," Soba reminded her. "Then you can pound on whatever you want providing it's not a person or our house."

"Looks like we've got another fighter on the way!" Goku chuckled. "They might even be stronger than you already!"

"Goku, shut up," Corset glared menacingly. "There's no way I'm going to be beaten by some unborn person – especially when I've been courteous enough to let them stay inside me for so long while they insist on making me as uncomfortable as possible! But if you think you can handle this then please, be my guest!"

"Now, now, let's not go challenging people to do things they can't do," Soba rolled his eyes. "Geez, at this rate we're gonna end up taking you in for internal bleeding."

"Like hell we are!" Corset retaliated. "I'll just go get a senzu bean or get Dende to heal me. I'm not being admitted until this little thing is coming out!"

"We have a lot of strong-willed girls around us, don't we?" Goku grinned. "Chichi's pretty stubborn when she wants to be and Bulma can be too, not to mention Corset and Videl."

"I guess so… but it's not like I hate that about Bulma," Vegeta muttered quietly, although loud enough for it to be heard.

"Well if we're going there, I guess that's one of the things I love about Chichi," Goku eagerly added.

"Only a strong-willed female could handle our Saiyan blood…" Vegeta added quietly.

"As touching as this is for me to hear you two declare your love for your wives," Corset gruffly interjected, looking misty-eyed for some reason, "you both need to put a sock in it, lest I suddenly go into labour and give birth right here from shock!"


	16. 16 - The Meeting of Sixth and Seventh

**Chapter 16 – The Meeting of Sixth and Seventh**

It took over an hour and a half before her mother returned, Jaco's spaceship landing gracefully on the lawn. In the time between take-off and landing, Corset had to make three emergency visits to the bathroom, endure two episodes of Braxton-Hicks contractions (watching Soba mildly panic over them potentially being true labour contractions had quickly lost its fun) and find something worthwhile to focus on other than the sheer boredom of how she felt. Goku and Piccolo had chosen to spend some time glancing out across the lawn upon the balcony, with her father somewhere down below them. She wasn't in much of a state to step-in as host so Trunks had been muscled in to provide drinks for those who waited, alongside their nana. After half an hour, it'd occurred to Piccolo to perhaps find Majin Buu, if he was intended to take part in this tournament. The thought burned through Corset's veins, annoyed at the state she was currently in.

So it came as a relief to see Jaco's ship returning.

"How did it go?" Goku asked. "Any news?"

Jaco glared at Bulma and shook his head in what Corset assumed was disappointment. Or maybe it was shame. It was hard to tell; Jaco's face wasn't as expressive as those she was used to.

"We now know where these Super Dragonballs originated from," Bulma smiled, leaping down effortlessly from the ship, landing with the near grace of a gazelle. "Some Dragon God called Zarama created them. Apparently they look like stars from far-off so they'd be hard to track with the naked eye. But don't worry, I'm sure my radar will work."

"This Zarama guy sounds impressive…" Goku mused in wonderment. "He must be strong to be able to create something as big and powerful as these balls are supposed to be."

"We would have got more information had this one not wasted two of her questions," Jaco muttered from his ship, fondling around with something.

Bulma glared back up towards him. "Well you're one to talk! You only got one question and you had the nerve to waste it!" Corset couldn't help but notice the light blush that'd come to her mother's cheeks and wondered what the hell Jaco had asked.

"Be that as it may…" Piccolo cut in, "It's still not a lot of information to go on.

"Yeah, it's nice knowing how they all started and all," Goku agreed, "but it's no good to us right now. In any case, we ought to focus on the upcoming tournament! I say we go to the Room of Spirit and Time and do some more training there!"

"You're gonna waste your remaining hours in there?" Corset raised an eyebrow. "… Come to think of it, aren't you only supposed to have two days tops in there? I thought you'd both used up that time when we were training to fight Cell!"

Goku pondered this for a moment. "… Did we?"

"You may be in luck," Piccolo smiled. "It's true that you can't spend more than forty-eight hours inside the room… but that applied to the old version."

"The old version?" Goku repeated.

"Oh!" Bulma gasped. "Didn't you blow up the room during the fight with Buu, trapping you, him, Goten and my son?" The last word had an infliction of annoyance to it.

"That's right!" Corset remembered. "… Wait. You said the old version. Why would you say old and why do I have the feeling the two day rule has just gone out the window?"

Piccolo's smile had widened. "The room was restored after the battle with Buu… and yes, the two day rule was rectified – as was the amount of time you can stay inside. You can still only fit two people in at a time if you want to be civil about it."

"Are you kidding me?" Corset gasped in awe.

"So we could spend all the time we needed in there to train?" Goku's eyes looked like a child's eyes in a candy shop, eyeing up all the sweets and contemplating which one to choose first. "That's fantastic! We could even spend the rest of our lives training in there!"

"Excuse me?" Bulma frowned. "Nice to know how thoughtful our husbands are! I would imagine Chichi would not be too thrilled to learn that'd come out of your mouth!"

"So it's settled then," Vegeta ignored his wife's comment. "We will use the Room of Spirit and Time to train – and yes, even if it means having to spend three years of your incessant company, I will agree to it."

"Th-Three years?!" Bulma snapped irritated. "You're going to spend three whole days in that room? Don't you think that's a little risky? Has anyone actually tested to see if what Piccolo says actually happens? What if it turns out the rules are still the same as before and you get yourselves trapped in there?"

"I'm sure we'd find a way out," Goku smiled calmly. "If Gotenks and Buu could cut their way out, it should be no problem for us!"

"Nothing seems impossible for you, does it?" Bulma sighed. "Fine, go and get trapped in that room but make sure you come out far stronger than ever!"

"What the hell is this room?" Soba asked quietly.

"It's too long to explain now," Corset muttered abruptly. Theoretically this was good news but she couldn't help but feel mildly peeved at the thought that there was apparently no limit on using that room now. They'd never see her father ever again.

* * *

The five days leading up to the tournament went by in a flash, alongside several more bouts of false labour and a quick trip to the hospital, which confirmed that yes, she was still getting false labour contractions. It didn't seem to matter how often she explained the difference between false and true, Soba wasn't taking any chances. Corset wondered whether the lack of sleep due to his long working hours was making him this way, or perhaps it was the thought that in less than a month's time, he would become a dad. He could afford to go all out with his feelings; she had to watch hers in case it affected the baby and started off her labour early.

Whis and Birus arrived on time to collect those who wished to take part in or spectate, arriving at Capsule Corp. Neither seemed particularly fazed with the large crowd; easily two dozen people stood in the garden waiting to be transported. Whis floated above the group and held out one hand; a bizarre cube suddenly surrounded them. And with that, they were off, launching into space towards some unknown planet.

"I wonder what kinds of fighters the others will come up against," Soba mused.

"Who knows?" Corset shrugged her aching shoulders. "I'm more concerned about which one of them will end up accidentally blowing up this planet we're supposed to be heading for."

"That's a little dark," Soba grimaced.

"How long until you're meant to be giving birth?" Videl quickly changed the subject.

"Three weeks," Corset sighed. "… The sooner the better."

"Getting uncomfortable?" Videl inquired. "I have a hot water bottle on stand-by along with a small repertoire of massages that could help soothe your aches and pains. Sure it didn't work long for me but hey, it might work for you."

"Not sure if I ought to be enthusiastic about that or not…" Corset muttered quietly.

"Don't worry; the annoyance will fade," Videl smiled sympathetically, putting a hand gently on Corset's back and rubbing it. "Then the real difficulty will start. This little one's keeping us awake as much as possible. She won't settle down at night. I'm surprised I'm still standing if I'm going to be completely honest."

"Thank you, thank you so much for your happy thoughts," Corset muttered dryly. She scanned the room, watching the others deep within conversation… spotting the loner standing in the centre of the cube. "I assume this is the strong guy Birus said was stronger than Goku? He looks weird."

"If those are what I think they are then I don't think he wants Pan anywhere near him," Videl's eyes were set on the two knobbly bits sticking out of the short alien's chest. There was no denying that they looked like either the tiniest breasts or the largest nipples the trio had seen to date. His eyes were narrow in comparison to a typical human's eyes, although a severely sunburnt human could probably come close to the tone of red his skin was. He wore very simple clothing; a mid-green jumpsuit with white boots.

"I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I really can't see how he can be stronger than Goku," Corset spoke. "He's so weedy…"

"Well we'll soon find out when he has his first match," Soba responded wearily. "… I gave up my day off for this?"

"At least you could make it," Videl grumbled.

"What?" Birus' voice carried through the cube, vibrating off the walls. "There are seven Super Dragonballs between both universes? That means that fat bastard's been entering _my_ universe and snatching whatever ones we had! This is a breach of etiquette!"

"It'll make looking for the last one twice as hard," Bulma added gruffly. Curious to the conversation, Corset waddled over towards them, one hand resting on the lower half of her back.

"Wait, where's Gohan?" Goku asked. "Videl, where's Gohan?"

Videl frowned, "He had a conference meeting he couldn't get out of."

Goku looked unusually miffed at this revelation, muttering something under his breath. It dug under Corset's shortened nerves. "It's not his fault his work is demanding! You haven't bothered to show up here in six months because of your damn training schedule – and your stupid hobby doesn't even bring any money into the house! You're as bad as one another really!"

"Ok, shoulder massage for the due lady," Soba quickly interjected, shifting behind his overburdened partner and gently flexing his fingers upon her tensed shoulders. "It'd be a lot easier to do this if you weren't deliberately clenching."

"Tragic," Corset grumbled. "I don't need a massage, I'm fine."

"Who is that?" Vegeta was looking in the direction of the short red-skinned man. "Is he a friend of yours, Kakarrot?"

"That is Monaka," Whis answered from the other end of the cube. "He is the one that Birus spoke of."

So he was meant to be stronger than Goku. Judging by the looks on her father's and Piccolo's face, neither of them were able to accept this fact easily. "… Getting caught off guard because of his outward appearance is probably one of the ways he lures his opponents," Piccolo muttered.

"Apparently the name Monaka means he of great ponta." Whis continued. "He is a hero of his home planet, Wagashi. The people there are typically kind and docile but their true power is, once they bear their fangs, even Birus would have trouble trying to control them."

"Really?" Goku sounded like a child once more, fuelled with excitement. He immediately made his way over towards the short fighter and extended a hand. "Hey there, my name is Goku. Pleased to meet you."

The short fighter observed him closely. Eventually he too extended his hand, taking Goku's in his. "Hello."

"You must really be something," Goku grinned. "That he of great ponta sounds really awesome too! What does that mean, anyway? What's a ponta?"

"Nipples," The short warrior deadpanned. "I've got great big nipples."

No one seemed to know what to say to this. Corset's thoughts trailed to how much hers hurt and were going to hurt over the next few months, which didn't bear thinking about. If only everyone else could hurt and then maybe they would understand. If only she wasn't pregnant so she could have been included in this stupid tournament and taken out her annoyances on whoever her opponents were. Buu was muttering something about being hungry. Chichi interjected with a ready-made bento box for the Majin, which seemed to appease him.

"This journey could take a while," Krillin mused. "Maybe we ought to play a game."

* * *

It took approximately thirty-five minutes for the group to reach Birus' planet. From there, they took another two hours and ten minutes before arriving on the nameless planet, where the tournament was apparently taking place. It would normally have interested Corset to look on in awe at the planet they were about to visit. Unfortunately, the combination of expecting and the huge Dragonballs floating close in orbit took any longing of her usual habits away. Her eyes widened in awe instead as the orbs above them sent yellow shadows across the planet before them, sparkling and refracting the starlight off their surface, albeit the effect of its mirror properties had worn down considerably in the last fifteen minutes. On their first approach they'd just looked like a cluster of light being refracted.

"Those are the Super Dragonballs?" Goten gawked.

"They're huge!" Trunks gaped.

The cube began to glow slightly, a red hue surrounding it as they connected with the atmosphere. Their descent was surprisingly smooth and over within a matter of seconds. Below them, through the planet's clouds, she could make out a building, realising this was the tournament grounds they would be fighting in. A lump formed in her throat as the cube finally touched down upon the dirt, vanishing quickly and freeing them.

"We're here," Whis announced unnecessarily.

"Ah, so you did come after all!" A voice cackled from the right. "I was beginning to think you'd chickened out!" The voice came from a being who looked like a fattened version of Birus. Behind him stood someone who looked like a gender-bent version of Whis.

"Champa!" Birus roared. "Apparently you've been sneaking into my universe without my knowing – how many of those balls did you steal from me?"

The fatter cat grinned. "Well it's not like you knew of them until I told you about them. I didn't think it'd matter to you anyway."

Birus frowned. "… I guess as we're brothers, I can let this one go. Besides, they'll be returning to their rightful owner in no time anyway!"

Champa snorted. "You won't be so upbeat when you lose!"

"Anyone we know?" Soba whispered quietly.

"Nope," Corset shook her head. "Though, if I had to make an educated guess, I'm gonna say he's the Sixth Universe's Hakaioshin."

"Hey!" Goku's excited voice cut through their conversation. "It's the… Wait. It's the Kaioshin… but…"

Corset spotted them, double-taking when she realised it was indeed them and not him – plural, not single. Two beings, not one. There stood the original Kaioshin – mohawk and all – alongside his assistant, Kibito! "What? How did you guys separate?" She squawked, baffled. As far as she'd been made aware, the Potara earrings merged two people into a single being – and once they'd merged, nothing could separate them (apart from Buu's insides apparently.)

"You're split back into two?" Goku was understandably baffled.

"Yes," Kaioshin nodded, "We asked the Namekians to gather the Dragonballs and split us back into two. It really felt weird leaving things as they were, you know?"

The two individuals standing behind the Kaioshin and Kibito caught Corset's attention but as quickly as it came, it was lost. Near-identical clothes to the Kaioshin; they had to be Kaioshin of the Sixth Universe.

"The paper test is starting!" Whis called. "Could Goku, Vegeta, Monaka, Piccolo and Mr Buu please follow us!"

The five contestants for Seventh Universe quickly left the remainder of the group, Corset once more wishing she was part of their group. Her eyes followed the small group as they made their way onto the stage, no doubt the arena they'd be fighting upon. On the other side, the fighters of Sixth Universe seemed to be joining them. Her eyes widened in surprise – one of their fighters bore a striking resemblance to Freeza!

"You ok?" Bulma asked, startling her daughter from her revelation. "Come on, we'll go find ourselves a seat before they get started. You need to be taking it easy now anyway."

"I'll see if they have any pillows," Chichi offered. "Comfort is important!"

"I'll be fine," Corset snapped. She wasn't suddenly three years old and needing everyone to wait on her, hand and knee. She was a grown woman – pregnant or otherwise!

The seats around the arena were pretty basic and couldn't be described as anything other than steps. The material was cold and hard underneath them, something Corset found was making her aches and pains worse but what choice did they have? Begrudgingly she settled down beside her mother and brother, eyes kept on the arena before them where their family, friends and Sixth-Universe competitors were now congregating. Her eyes drifted back towards the Freeza look-a-like, studying him or her in more detail. She assumed she'd refer to the fighter as a 'he' until told otherwise. Now she could focus more on the individual, she noted that the malicious feel that clung to Freeza's energy was absent. If anything he felt calmer than her father or Piccolo's energy. It was very unsettling but perhaps there was more to this race's history in their own universe that had led to their dominance and malicious intention in space.

Her eyes continued to pass over the others, double-backing when she spotted her father and Goku conversing with one of the other fighters with a surprising amount of interest. Just what was it they'd managed to interest Goku and her dad in? Something about his energy seemed familiar but Corset couldn't place it. His armour reminded her of some of the armours the Earthlings used to historically wear but why would that have piqued the interest of the two Saiyans of the group?

Next was a robot who towered over the competition easily. There was a bear-like creature who seemed to be challenging Buu in the roundness department. Then the final fighter was unlike anything she'd seen before, tall but quiet. He was settling himself down at his table readying himself for their imminent test. These three were far more mysterious but at the same time, less interesting to Corset.

"It's a shame Gohan couldn't make it," She sighed. "He'd have enjoyed getting to meet all these new people."

"Right, you may begin!" The Sixth Universe's assistant declared. "These ten basic test questions will determine whether or not you possess the basic, rudimentary intelligence level required. There is a time limit of ten minutes and a minimum score of fifty points is needed to pass."


	17. 17 - Handicapped

**Chapter 17 – Handicapped**

The ten minutes seemed to fly by to most of the spectators. Corset spent the majority of the time shuffling on her uncomfortable seat and mentally arguing with her unborn child over who was in control of her bladder. But soon the time limit had been reached and the ten fighters handed back their test sheets to the Sixth Assistant.

"I wonder how everyone did," Chichi mused. "It'd be nice if one of the fighters from that other universe didn't get through!"

"Chichi!" Krillin scowled. "…I know how you feel about our planet being moved over to the other universe but you shouldn't say such things."

"Well why not?" Chichi protested. "It's not fair that we have to be moved just because these two can't get along!"

Bulma pressed a finger to her lips, "Not so loud, Chichi." She'd been looking very wary around Birus recently, Corset had noticed.

It took another five minutes before all the scores were in and the Sixth Assistant brightly stepped forward. "Now then, I shall announce the results!" Her eyes peeled over each fighter of the Sixth Universe before falling towards those in the Seventh Universe. "Majin Buu, you are the only one who shall be disqualified."

"What?" Mr Satan gasped. "Buu!"

"Buu will be unable to compete in the tournament," The woman merely smiled. "The rest of you passed so please proceed to your team seats."

Quickly Piccolo, Goku and Vegeta had surrounded Buu and appeared to be observing his answer sheet. Corset wanted to go down and see for herself but it was going to be easier said than done with her bulk. Besides with how loud everyone was shouting, she didn't need to get any closer.

"How did you get your own name wrong?" Piccolo barked infuriated.

"Shut up!" Buu grumbled. "I've never done anything like this before."

"What do we do now?" Vegeta snapped looking uncharacteristically frazzled. Corset couldn't blame him; Buu was one of their best and most resilient fighters and had amazing abilities. The loss of someone so sturdy and resilient would cause a big blow to the success of their universe's team. Sure her father and Goku could become Super Saiyan Gods and Piccolo had the power of the Namekians to bring to the table, but nothing was known about Monika and his abilities.

"You were the one who insisted on a test!" Goku was protesting, flashing his own score sheet at the shorter Saiyan. "Thanks to you I nearly didn't make it in myself!"

"Damn it!" Vegeta cursed, clutching his head in his hands in frustration.

"What is wrong with you people?" Birus had interrupted them. "Don't kid around like this and barely get a pass!"

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Goku frowned.

"Whatever!" Birus barked. "Just figure out whatever order you're going in! Just know that our strongest fighter, Monika, is going last!"

Things could have gone a lot better. Corset felt bad for the four remaining fighters of their universe, hoping that the sudden loss of one of their fighters would not cost them the match. She couldn't imagine the amount of pressure all of these fighters were under, having been chosen to fight for their God of Destruction… she wouldn't want to think of the consequences for any of them if they ended up being on the losing side. She didn't want to imagine what Birus could potentially do to their planet if Universe Six were the victors.

She'd kill Goku if the world was destroyed before her unborn baby came into existence and stopped leeching off her body's reserves. Regardless of her about to become a mother, the toll being pregnant was taking on her body was driving her nuts, especially when it came to mobility and not being allowed to train. Soba had banned her once she'd hit her five month mark, stating it was too dangerous for her and their baby. Of course she tried to sneak some in sessions as and when she could but it did mean trying to hide the injuries and aches that resulted from it. Plus the limit to her mobility hindered any real progression she would have otherwise made.

It was so unfair she couldn't train. If she hadn't been pregnant, she would have happily volunteered to take part in this tournament! _'Stupid Soba…'_

After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, it turned out Goku was going to be the first fighter for Universe Seven, with Piccolo next and Vegeta after, finally followed by Monika.

"Welcome all to the moment you've all been waiting for!" An alien announced loudly. "The tournament between the representatives chosen by the Sixth and Seventh Hakaishins is about to commence! Now then, we shall sing the national anthem of the Universe!"

"Sing what now?" Bulma gaped. The group watched as another small alien leapt onto the arena stage, walked sensibly over to the middle and raised a microphone to its lips. Corset wasn't sure how many people here knew what this song sounded like or the lyrics to it but it made her feel very awkward not knowing it herself.

The alien sucked in a deep breath and began to sing:

 _"The Uni-verse is…_

 _Very spacious-!"_

And with that, the tiny alien hopped back down from the stage, applauded by a few of the members of the crowd.

"And now the time has finally come!" The first alien announced. "Let the tournament begin!" He turned to look towards the Sixth Universe competitors, where the big bear was making his way onto the stage. "The first up to the stage representing Universe Six is contestant Botamo!"

The crowds began to cheer loudly for the competitor, who smacked one fist into the other and bowed.

Goku stepped up onto the stage to meet him, Corset felt a lump forming in her throat and hoped it wasn't reflux. "And the Seventh Universe's challenger – Son Goku!" The announcer's voice was drowned out from the cries of the spectators for Universe Seven, particularly Trunks and Goten.

A shield formed around the edges of the arena; the Sixth attendant having spun her sceptre a couple of times. Corset assumed this was to protect the spectators from any wayward attacks. She took a small breath in and sighed. _'Good luck all of you.'_

"Start!" The alien announcer shouted.

Botamo was the first to move, flying rapidly for someone of his shape towards Goku. Goku barely dodged his punch, Botamo having no trouble keeping up with the taller Saiyan and swinging out punches and kicks, each barely being dodged. One punch finally connected, slamming Goku hard against the arena floor, albeit he quickly recovered and successfully landed on his feet.

"Goku!" Chichi hollered. "What's wrong with you? Fight him properly!"

"There's something not right about this," Krillin frowned. "Goku shouldn't be having this much trouble already. I mean, that guy's fast but Goku's moved faster in his sleep!"

"What's wrong, Goku?" Birus had also noticed Goku wasn't at his best.

"Sorry guys, I ate too much a little earlier," Goku apologised. "Let me just work it off real quick?" And without even waiting for an answer, he began to jog around the perimeter of the arena.

' _If I wasn't so weighted down, I'd get in there and clout him around the back of the head!'_ Corset folded her arms as best she could over her stomach. "What a moron!"

Goku continued his jog, which seemed to be grating on Botamo's nerves. The bear-like alien began to grow annoyed and went to snatch Goku from the ground – but Goku was too fast for him. The move forced Botamo to roll forward and bounce off the ground. Rising to his feet and now baring his teeth, the alien fired off a twin-beam attack from his ears, which Goku dodged again with ease. The lack of connection was now frying Botamo's patience and he shot after the Saiyan, determined to snatch him from his jogging and fight him properly, but the Saiyan was too fast and slippery.

Goku suddenly stopped. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Enough!" Botamo shouted, launching himself once again towards the now stationary Goku. But a peculiar smile crept across Goku's face. In a flash, Botamo had been knocked back by what would look like an invisible force to the untrained eye. Corset had seen it, had just about caught the movement of his wrist as it smacked Botamo in the stomach. The alien slammed his back upon the ground but was quick to recover, albeit looking a little baffled.

Again he launched himself towards Goku. Another almost invisible shot knocked him back. Another attempt was made from behind but again Goku's swift arms knocked the apparently clueless Botamo away from him, bouncing off the arena and into the air. The bear-like alien came close to the edge of the arena, to the cheering and excitement of the Seventh Universe's spectators.

"That's it, Goku!" Oolong hollered loudly.

"Beat him, Dad!" Goten cheered.

The look on the Sixth Hakaishin told her all she needed to know. The smile said it all; this was not the end. Corset could feel her heart pulsating in her throat but did her best to keep cool, knowing that Goku was going to find the remainder of this match more challenging than he had.

Botamo rose to his feet. She could feel his aura beginning to spike. Goku had noticed it too judging by the expression that'd crossed his face. He readied himself as Botamo charged, stunning the bear as he snatched him by the arm and launched several punches into his round body. Still nothing seemed to be working; one more punch sent him soaring back across the tiles. Goku followed up with a Kamehameha, launching the blue beam towards his foe and engulfing him in a chocking cloud of smoke. Still as the dust cleared, Botamo seemed to be suffering no ill effects.

"He's not taking any damage," Krillin muttered quietly, albeit not as quietly as he'd hoped. "Not even Buu showed this level of stamina when Goku and the others fought him."

"Yeah," Tenshinhan agreed. "What a dangerous guy… but…"

"There is still a way," Master Roshi responded. "Goku just has to remember what he's doing and where he is."

"Use your head!" Vegeta hollered from the participants stand. Corset raised a confused eyebrow, ignoring the horrid feeling in her stomach. She watched as Goku continued to pound on Botamo, each hit doing little to disturb the giant bear-like combatant. At one point Goku even slammed his forehead straight into his opponent's bloated stomach, leaving an impressive face-print in his skin. Botamo laughed it off.

Goku struck, grabbing hold of Botamo by the ankles and pulling back, causing him to fall off balance and onto the floor with a heavy thud. Within seconds the Saiyan had grabbed hold of both ankles and was dragging him across the ring, Botamo protesting and trying to clutch hold of the tiles. He shot out several blasts from his mouth towards Goku, who seemed to be having no trouble dodging them despite the close proximity.

"What's he doing?" Marron asked, glancing up at her father and mother.

Corset gasped and nodded in approval. _'That might work…'_

Goku released Botamo's ankles and stood ready for him. Angry, Botamo rose to his feet and lunged out – Goku grabbed hold of his incoming arm and threw him over his shoulder, Botamo's feet leaving the tiles as he shot head-over-heels onto the ground at the edge of the ring.

"C-Contestant Botamo from Universe Six has been knocked out-of-bounds!" The commentator shouted down the microphone. "That means Contestant Son Goku from Universe Seven is the winner!"

The cheers from Universe Seven drowned out the sorry murmurs of the universe opposite. Botamo sheepishly got back onto his feet and made his way back to his side's seating area, looking low and hard down at the ground.

"Cheater!" The Sixth Hakaishin hollered, which only received heckles and boos from the crowds. He seemed unnerved and agitated and rightly so – he had just been drawn level with Universe Seven and now had four fighters left. Still, at least his four were fresh and full in energy; how would Goku handle their next competitor?

Corset watched to see who would rise out of their seat next, her eyebrows rising in shock as the Freeza-like alien rose out of his chair and made his way towards the ring. "This'll be interesting…"

"Will it?" Soba raise an eyebrow unimpressed.

"Well, yeah," Corset snorted, "… Oh, you weren't there when Freeza showed up. Yeah, you wouldn't know but trust me when I say this'll be interesting."

"Next from Universe Six is contestant Frost," The announcer introduced the Freeza lookalike as he made his way across the ring floor. "Frost is a hero in Universe Six who runs an intergalactic police force. He has vowed to wipe out all evil within his universe."

"Wait, wipe out… He's the complete opposite of Freeza then," Bulma mused.

"So they bring out the next contestant immediately? This'll be tough," Chichi frowned. "I hope he's worked off all that food."

Goku stood ready to meet his opponent, both keeping eye contact with one another as they waited patiently. Frost's hand suddenly rose towards Goku, a smile crossing his face. "Pleased to meet you. Let's do our best."

Goku seemed to take a moment before he took his own hand and shook with Frost, "Yeah, nice to meet you too." He seemed just as taken aback as his comrades.

Finally Birus and Champa shot off an energy blast each, striking the gong and signalling for the match to begin. Frost charged at an impressive pace – much faster apparently than his colleague – even so fast as to catch Goku by surprise. His tail latched around Goku's ankle, yanking Goku off balance and onto his face. A shot barely missed as Goku leapt off the ground, Frost chasing after him and engaging him in fierce hand-to-hand combat. With every hit, Goku blocked and parried, Frost suddenly finding it a lot harder to catch him off-guard. A couple of strikes sent Frost shooting backwards, rebounding off the tiles and launching towards the Saiyan once more. The shockwaves of their fists gently shook the stands under the audience, a low hum reverberating around the protective dome.

"What an intense battle," Master Roshi uttered exasperated. "I can't even see their hands moving."

"I can't really see what's going on," Soba grumbled. "Why do you guys do this? This isn't interesting to watch if I can't see what's going on."

"Oh? I didn't know you found fighting interesting to watch," Videl perked up with surprise.

"I don't," Soba explained, leaning on one hand, "… But if I'm being forced to watch this then I may as well be actually able to see them moving. It just looks like flashes."

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Videl snorted, bouncing Pan on her lap. "Come on, Pan. Cheer your grandpa Goku on."

Frost was booted in the chin, sent soaring across the arena, just stopping himself inches from the ground. He immediately charged back up towards Goku, once more engaging him in a barrel of punches before the two finally parted, landing a few feet from one another.

' _Neither of them are giving this their all…'_ Corset sighed loudly and rested her hand on her stomach. _'I wonder whether or not this Universe's group of Freeza lookalikes can transform too…?'_

"I knew it," Goku's voice carried over. "You're still holding back, trying to get a feel of what my power is like."

Frost seemed surprised, "I don't know what you're talking about. You're giving me too much credit."

"Go on, transform," Goku goaded him. "Transform into your final form."

The look of surprise seemed to have faded from Frost's face, as if he were seriously considering Goku's bait. So he did know how to transform… or perhaps he was trying to call Goku's bluff or perhaps he didn't even know how to transform. There were so many possible answers but with the way his energy was now rising, Corset quickly settled for the first reason. Her concentration was broken somewhat when her stomach became the target of assault from the baby inside. _'Not now!'_ She glared down at her stomach as if this would somehow stop her unborn baby from beating her innards up, barely able to focus on the flash of light ahead as Frost completed his transformation.

"Hey… that's not…" Krillin was too busy shuddering to finish his sentence and she couldn't blame him – both of them having been killed by Frost's Universe Seven counterpart.

"He's playing us for fools," Vegeta could be heard snapping in annoyance, cursing rather loudly.

"That form…" Piccolo grimaced, "… Just by looking at it is bringing back bad memories."

Corset glanced away from her stomach, double-taking and feeling a cold shudder pass through her body. How strange it was that this look still made her feel on edge, despite the massive difference in powers. Frost did not look like Freeza in his final form; if anything his appearance was a lot closer to Freeza's third form. His head had become elongated at the back, his nose having vanished in the process. His stance had changed too, his back now looking as if it were struggling to deal with the bulk sitting upon his neck and hunching over for compensation.

"Is this more to your liking?" Frost asked.

Goku looked a little disappointed. "… It's not how I remember, it's a bit different from the guy I knew."

"The guy you knew?" Frost repeated.

"Yeah, there was another one who looked like you in our Universe," Goku explained. "He was a tricky person too. He kept on transforming and had already reached his final form when I'd arrived. He was a strong fighter."

"That explains how you knew about this then," Frost responded. "Was that other 'me' able to defeat you?"

Goku smiled. "It's probably best I don't answer that."

"I see," Frost responded, "… I hope that I really am different from him then."

"I hope so too," Goku nodded, getting himself ready for another attack. "Come at me."


	18. 18 - Parallel Universe and Personality

**AN:** Finally I can upload again! This chapter's been up on my deviantart page for a while so for those of you who haven't seen it, enjoy.

-LilDBZBuddy89

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 **Chapter 18 – Parallel Universe, Parallel Personality**

Both fighters had rushed again, drawn into a fierce barrage of hand-to-hand combat. Goku was still more than able to keep up with Frost's speed but the battle had taken a dramatic turn, with both fighters now putting more energy into their attacks. From the sounds of things, Universe Six's spectators were looking pleased about the turn of events and Frost's transformation. The Sixth Hakaishin – Champa – was even gloating about Frost being the strongest fighter on their team. Corset snorted and rolled her eyes at the remark, unimpressed that this guy was trying to tell them that this form was his strongest, final transformation. It was a flat lie and it was infuriating that he thought he'd fooled them all.

A shudder crept down her spine as he appeared a few feet from the spectators, his appearance reminding her so much of the battle on Namek around two decades ago. Freeza would have been given a run for his money if Frost had appeared in their universe but no matter what Frost's allegiance was, she couldn't look at him without feeling uneasy. Either that or her stomach was turning again.

Frost began firing off kiai blasts, striking Goku at point-blank range. The move was identical to one of Freeza's moves, one he'd used against Piccolo. The move was horrifying, almost instantly striking the same moment it left the tips of his fingers. Goku shot back, skidding hard across the tiles on his back. Frost landed inches from him, towering over the fallen Saiyan. "How's that? I suggest you throw in the towel before you really get hurt."

' _What a moron,'_ Corset sighed, resting her chin on her hand. _'Goku, what are you doing? Just transform and finish him off. This isn't pleasant watching.'_

Goku leapt effortlessly onto his feet and stretched his arms above his head. "Thanks for that. I'm a bit of a slow starter." His stance changed. "By the way, I'm certain you're still holding back on me. You're still hiding one more stage of your transformation. My guess is that you're saving it for the other matches, right? What a sneaky guy!"

' _Like you're one to talk,'_ Corset sighed louder than before, catching Soba and her mother's attention.

Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan, much to Frost's surprise. His shock was mirrored in the combatants of Universe Six as well as their spectators. "If you want to stay like that then fine. I'll end this now." He launched himself towards Frost, who quickly clenched his fists and triggered his final transformation. Within a blinding flash, there he stood looking remarkably similar to Freeza in his final form, Goku having halted to let him transform. A smile had crept over the Super Saiyan's face. "Finally, that's a form I recognise."

"The reason I was hiding my final form…" Frost's lips barely parted, "…was not for the purpose you assumed. It was because I find it harder to control my power. Because of this, I once accidentally killed an evil-doer when there was no need to do so."

"There's no need for you to hold back," Goku replied looking unfazed.

"Yes, I believe this to be true," Frost nodded in agreement. "I feel you are capable of handling this form. I'm glad I met you… and now!" Within a flash he'd vanished, darting at high-speed towards his foe. Goku held up one hand, blocking Frost's incoming punch with no effort. The energy from the attack sending a shockwave across the arena. Goku snatched him forward and decked him in the cheek, sending Frost bouncing hard against the security bubble set up by the Hakaishin. Again Frost launched himself but once again he was denied, Goku striking him backwards with another punch. Frost bounced hard against the tiles, landing on his front.

It slowly seemed to be dawning on him that perhaps he'd met his match in the Super Saiyan stood before him.

"Is this the limit of your power?" Goku asked, his aura disappearing. "You seem like a nice guy so I don't want to beat you up too much. I suggest you give up."

Frost was slowly rising to his feet looking worn down. "I appreciate your concern… but… I can't agree to your request." He managed to stumble up to his full height. "In order to eliminate… war from my world… I must win this competition… and gain Champa's assistance."

' _Why would a Hakaishin help rid a world of war?'_ Corset raised an eyebrow, sitting up more attentively. _'Hakaishins destroy worlds!'_

Another cold chill swept over her body. She didn't think this time was down to Frost's appearance.

Frost charged and went all out once again, firing a multitude of fists towards Goku, who parried each and every one of them. Once more, Goku retaliated with a single attack – this time a kick – which sent Frost crashing back once more.

"I can't watch this anymore," Chichi frowned.

"I hope he can hang in there," Bulma agreed, earning a quip from Krillin.

"Remember which Universe you want to win!" came the fighter's response. "I know it's sad that such a good guy had to come up against Goku but still."

Frost rose once more, Corset focusing on his enetgy more cautiously. Something about Champa assisting Frost in eliminating all wars seemed off… Unless Frost was planning to end all wars by destroying everything until the planets of Universe Six were beaten into submission? No, that sounded like something Freeza would do. How could a supposed hero like Frost find any use from the Hakaishin? She didn't get it.

"No matter what…" Frost's words were quiet, "… I will stand up again… and I will never give up. I have to live up to the children's expectations… that's why I came here in the first place! If they don't have hope… then they have nothing!"

Another lunge forward and a single punch parried.

Goku's ki plummeted.

He swayed uncertainly on his feet, looking dazed, which alarmed Corset. She sat further forward, shocked with how fast his energy had shot down. What'd just happened? How had such a painfully weak attack done so much damage to him?

Goku faltered. Frost seized the chance, landing one single kick into Goku's hip. Goku showed no resistance, shooting several feet into the air and toppling off the edge of the arena. He landed with a thud upon the ground, losing his Super Saiyan transformation in the process.

"Goku!" Krillin hollered.

"What happened?" Bulma gasped. "How did Goku lose so easily?"

"His ki shot down after that punch," Tenshinhan explained looking thunderstruck. "… What kind of punch was it?"

"Strange…" Jaco muttered quietly. "… Could it be?"

"Could it be what?" Bulma asked glancing towards him, but Jaco did not explain himself. Their attention was snatched away by Chichi's ear-piercing shout as she leapt from the stands and rushed towards her husband. Quickly she was by his side and from what Corset could see, Goku was just about regaining consciousness. Whatever had knocked him out couldn't have been too bad but then again, whatever had happened was completely unexpected.

Frost was weaker than Goku so it made little sense to her that he'd merely knocked him out by using brute strength. Maybe it was some kind of mind paralysis or telekinetic power; Freeza had been known to be able to make objects levitate so perhaps his race were also capable of some kind of mind manipulation? It sounded far-fetched; why would Freeza not have used such a thing against them? Unless it was the case that his version of this race didn't have the ability… Something suspicious was going on and Corset wanted to find out what.

Frost had made his way down off the ring and was now standing inches from Goku and Chichi. He held out a hand and appeared to assist Goku back onto his feet, turning and then even raising Goku's hand, getting an applause from the spectators around them. Corset didn't want to appear unsporting so she joined in but something just seemed off with this. Perhaps it was because she wasn't used to seeing one of Freeza's kind being so… good, so pure in a positive light.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked in a hushed voice. "You seem bothered. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Corset nodded, "Nothing to worry about."

She could feel Soba's gaze on her and felt the blood rush to her cheeks. He was reading her, she knew it.

Goku made his way back over towards the competitors area after having dropped Chichi back off to her seat. From the looks of things, Birus was fuming and Corset couldn't blame him. "Why didn't you go all out from the beginning? You could have won! Saying you're sorry will not make up for this!" He hollered, Goku raising his arms in mock defeat.

"I thought Super Saiyan would be enough but apparently not," The Saiyan was apologising. "What could I do? Next time I definitely won't lose."

"Next time? This competition is what's important right now!" Birus snapped back. "If we lose this then Champa will have your planet in his universe!"

"Birus!" Champa called loudly from across the ring, his voice carrying a rather irritable tone to it. "Wasn't that Saiyan meant to be your trump card? Are you mad? Are you nervous?"

"I'm not mad – or nervous!" Birus held back his anger badly, clearly struggling for composure. A quiet word from Whis seemed to help him find that inner calm. He approached Goku and put an arm around his shoulder, "You fought fairly well and went all out! Winning or losing isn't what's important here! That was a nice fight, Goku!"

Corset wasn't sure who he was trying to fool and she didn't fancy being Goku, stuck with Birus' arm around the back of his neck. Part of her thought that Birus would happily snap it at any given moment, now that Goku was out of the running.

"Moving on," The announcer cut in, "The next competitor from Universe Seven to fight Universe Six's Frost will be…" He took a moment to double-check on the list he'd been given. "… Contestant Piccolo."

This would be interesting and perhaps it was safe to say Frost still had an uphill battle. But having defeated Goku put Corset's assumptions in an awkward place. She wouldn't bet her life on it but she would be surprised if he took Piccolo down too. Piccolo may have struggled against Freeza on Namek but he'd far surpassed him since that time, even managing to keep pace with the androids and Cell up to a point. It'd been years since those battles and he'd done nothing but train from there on. So it'd be crazy to think that as far as strength went, Piccolo would lose. He would easily beat Frost.

But then again, Goku should have done so. Strength wasn't everything and she knew it but she couldn't help but feel that Goku's naivety and Piccolo's cunning mind would see Frost lose this fight. Piccolo was not as generous in forgiveness and giving his opponents chances. He would be on guard for sure.

The Namekian fighter made his way onto the arena stage, a smile having crept across his face. He turned to face the other competitors, "Think I have a chance?"

"Nope," Goku replied cheerfully. "You would be able to wear him down though; Vegeta is next up to fight anyway."

Corset's jaw dropped. "What?" She screeched, rising from her seat and ignoring the twinge of pain that'd just shot down her back. "What the hell are you talking about, Goku? You liar! Piccolo can beat that guy no problem!"

"Just watch and see," Came Goku's response.

Corset snorted. "Watch and see? Yeah alright, I'll watch and I'll see Piccolo kicking Frost's a-"

"There are infants here who do not to hear your putty-mouth!" Krillin cut across her, pointing towards his daughter, Goten and Trunks, then to Pan.

"I've heard her say bad words before so it's ok," Trunks responded, earning Corset a sharp glare from their mother.

"So that's the role I'm going to play?" Piccolo's focus was now on Frost, "Do you plan to keep on fighting me in your final form? Why don't you hold back a little?"

Was he for real? Corset felt so disappointed in hearing one of her former mentors saying such things… unless this was a ploy to make Frost think that Piccolo wasn't as strong as he actually was? Ah, sneaky. Maybe this was Goku's plan and Piccolo was already aware of it?

"You don't need to worry," Frost responded. "I don't have enough strength to kill you accidentally now. Still, I do not intend to lose."

"It seems that everyone's underestimating me today," Piccolo mused. He raised one hand and removed his armour, chucking the weighted turban and cape towards the announcer, who unfortunately did not have the speed nor the strength to get himself clear from underneath the armour!

The gong reverberated; Champa having fired another energy blast towards it. The match had been signalled to begin.

"I've already shown the scope of my power so now all I have left is willpower," Frost uttered, lowering himself into a defensive stance. "But I shall use that as my weapon!" He charged towards his opponent. Piccolo vanished from sight, having teleported so quickly, Frost hadn't realised until his attack had missed.

He was up high, two fingers pointed towards his forehead. Corset gasped, instantly recognising that attack. _'Is he going to fire that here? You'd better have a decent amount of control on that, Piccolo!'_ Then again, did Piccolo have enough time to be charging that attack? If he released it now, it wouldn't do much damage to Frost but it wasn't like Frost was just going to stand there and let him charge it… Or perhaps he would. The guy seemed to be bizarrely kind and considerate.

"That move…" Frost smiled, "It seems to require the user to charge up enough power before it can be fired. Time is not your friend."

He was fast, Corset gulped.

The attacks began, Frost fired off a single shot from his finger. Piccolo dodged with no damage or negative impact to himself or his attack, although his speed had now been severely limited. Frost fired off blast after blast, Piccolo dodging each and every one of them. This had to be taking on his ki and stamina, there was no way he'd be able to dodge much faster whilst still charging up his attack – and Corset would be surprised if Frost hadn't figured this out yet.

Piccolo suddenly changed direction, bouncing back down onto the tiles. He was much more dexterous in his movements now, no longer having to donate some of his ki to his flight pattern. Frost increased his attack's speed but Piccolo still held his own, still able to concentrate and even fire a beam from the two antennae on his forehead! The fierce ki blast battle continued, both opponents keeping a fair distance from the other. Frost countered Piccolo's next antennae blast, firing off more beams from both index fingers now. Finally one successfully struck Piccolo in his right leg, piercing straight through it and forcing Piccolo out of the sky. At the last minute he raised his hand, landing and bouncing straight off the tiles, regaining control of his movements and thankfully still capable of charging his attack.

' _Come on, Piccolo,'_ Corset prayed quietly in her head. The Makankosappo was a terrifying move if pulled off but the cost was taxing. Piccolo was in trouble if another few attacks hit him – especially if it cost him the use of his right arm.

Piccolo seemed to have realised that too because there were suddenly a dozen of him on the ring, each and every one of them identical to the others, each even charging up their own Makankosappo! Frost continued his assault but none seemed to be the right Piccolo – and with each clone he found, another two had appeared. Quickly Frost found himself surrounded by a ring of the Namekian clones, each charging their own attack and each's attack having doubled in size.

He acted. Frost roared out and began to glow red, his body shrouded in a bizarre light as he drew his limbs in. Corset sat forward, realising too late what was about to happen – Frost's energy burst free in a dome, shedding light and energy in all directions, wrecking the ring floor beneath his feet. The barrier struck all clones in an instant, all vanishing from sight in one fell swoop until finally, the real Piccolo remained. Frost was there ready for him, launching a barrage of punches towards Piccolo's abdomen. Piccolo dodged and parried, not needing to be able to see (which was just as well, as his attack had now obscured his face!) where Frost's fists were headed. He took a large leap back, Frost shooting straight towards him-

Piccolo's arm suddenly shot out unnaturally, expanding rapidly and tying itself around Frost's body before he could even register what'd happened. A smile crossed Piccolo's face. "Not only have I been trying to charge this attack, I've also been wondering… what would be the best way to hit you."

Frost seemed stunned, as if he'd never witnessed such a move before. Corset wondered if he'd ever come across Namekians in his universe, or even if Namekians existed in Universe Six.

"Makankosappo!" Piccolo hollered, firing the attack at last. The beam came at point-blank range, Frost having no time to stop or even shield himself as the attack erupted with a terrifying bang. The ground below them shook violently, thick plumes of dust scattering across the arena and battering the contestants and spectators. Corset grabbed hold of Soba's hand, fearful the energy would force him from their seats. Slowly the vibrations stopped, the dust slowly drifted from the arena revealing the fate of the two fighters.

Corset's heart sank.

A single line crossed jaggedly over the tiled floor, a small curve now having been gorged into it. Centimetres from it stood Frost, holding one shoulder with his hand. Blood was seeping from his wound, running down his hand and pooling upon the floor. He looked as if he were in pain but the fury in his eyes sent chills down her spine.

' _He side-stepped it,'_ Corset was in awe. _'He did that at point-blank range too… So much for not having much energy left!'_

Piccolo collapsed onto the ground.

"Piccolo!" Krillin cried out.

' _Again?'_ Corset was stunned. Piccolo's ki had just plummeted. What the hell was going on?

"I object!" Jaco hollered, suddenly getting to his feet.


	19. 19 - Frost's Deception

**AN:** It's been a while since I've uploaded anything on here. Sorry for the wait. As a treat, have two chapters instead of one :)

-LilDBZBuddy89

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 **Chapter 19 – Frost's Deception**

Jaco now had the attention of all those around him, unfazed apparently by all the eyes settled upon him. "I object!" He repeated determined. "Contestant Frost is cheating! He's using a weapon!"

The announcer seemed alarmed by this accusation. "H-How can you be sure?" He asked, indifferent to how loud his voice was over the microphone. Beside him, Frost seemed indifferent.

"Examine his right arm," Jaco nodded. "Just before Piccolo fired his technique, Frost's right arm slipped into the hold Piccolo had on him. I am confident he did something with his right arm that forced Piccolo to suddenly lose consciousness and I suspect that if you were to look, you'd find he is concealing a needle of some kind!"

A needle? Corset could see it now; a needle would allow Frost to pierce into his opponent's skin and inject them with goodness-knows-what whilst in the midst of battle. Had that been how he'd defeated Goku, too?

"Quit making such pathetic accusations!" Champa barked infuriated. "No one saw a needle come out so quit your jabbering!"

"Of course no one saw it," Soba muttered quietly, albeit not quietly enough for no one else to hear him. "Why would he deliberately show it when we all know weapons are prohibited?"

"I fought alongside Frost on Planet Mayonnai!" The Saiyan from the other side had also piped up. "He is a hero who'd risk his life to defend the citizens against pirates and evil-doers! He would never cheat!"

"My eyes see all," Jaco responded, undeterred. "Those who underestimate my eyesight get burned."

"Let's settle this pointless arguing!" Vegeta piped up. "If it is the case that Frost has nothing to hide then he won't object to a body search. Referee, check him!"

It made sense but still, the others from Universe Six were looking offended from the accusations. Corset didn't see why they should object if Frost was ok with a search. So the referee (reluctantly) began the body search, scanning over Frost despite the injuries the latter had recently taken. He quickly reached his right arm, feeling over it for any signs of anything untoward… and promptly fell onto his back!

"Wh-What?" Champa screamed. "What's the meaning of this?"

Jaco smiled and sighed with relief. "You see? He's even knocked the referee out cold!"

"Look!" Krillin pointed. "Piccolo's coming to!"

Indeed the Namekian was beginning to stir. Slowly he rose to a sitting position as Goku approached him. "You alright?" The Saiyan asked. "Come on, I'll help you over to our seats."

"What the hell happened?" Piccolo muttered, pushing Goku's helping hand away and rising onto his feet independently. "The world started to spin and then I lost control."

"That's funny, that's how I felt," Goku frowned, eyes turning towards Frost. "Exactly how I felt."

The announcer began to make strange noises before he too came around, slowly reaching out for the microphone. "… I can conclude that I felt dizzy and the world had started to spin as my finger passed a particularly spiky point on his arm… Therefore I have no choice but to declare that Frost is using a weapon!"

"Not at all," Frost shook his head. "This is a natural part of my body."

"I concur," The referee shook his head, now being helped to his feet by Goku. "I detect modifications to your body to store that needle – therefore you are using a weapon and shall be disqualified on the grounds of cheating! The winner of the round is Contestant Piccolo!"

"You've got to be kidding!" Champa was stunned.

"Why?" The Universe Six Saiyan looked horrified. "Why would someone so noble as yourself resort to something so cowardly?"

"There's nothing so strange about it," Champa's assistant, Vados, interrupted them. "That's just Frost's true nature. The space pirates that attacked Planet Mayonnai were part of an underground organisation run by him."

This was alarming news but oddly enough, it settled Corset's stomach. Of course there was a band of space pirates run by him. It coincided with so much of what they knew about Frost and Freeza's race… and it was at this point she mentally slapped herself for being so prejudiced towards them. Even with Freeza being obviously evil, there was something still good in what Frost was trying to achieve by providing others with hope… but she concluded people of his universe would have much more hope if he'd stop sending space pirates to terrorise them. "He's a fraud!"

"What a lying ass," Soba snorted disgruntled, crossing his arms indignantly.

"What a heartless way to put it," Frost's demeanour had changed. No matter how much she tried not to, every bone in her body told her that he was more alike to Freeza than they'd all truly realised. "I start wars and then I resolve them… then I purchase the war-ravaged lands at a lowered price before restoring them and reselling them at a huge profit. It was I who thought up this business scheme."

Vegeta snorted. "So, not much difference between our Universes then… although, your strategy would be seen as less hostile and far more productive to those you come across. In order to hide your nature, you deceived them all by making yourself out to be the good guy, rather than resort to simple intimidation and annihilation. You'd have outdone Freeza had you been born into our Universe."

"Rather than you falling for my trap," Piccolo was still unsteady," it was I who fell for yours."

"Why did you bring me this guy?" Champa snarled.

"You didn't ask me to bring solely fighters with good intentions," Vados simply replied, "You asked for me to find the strongest fighters of our Universe… in fact, your exact words were 'this is such a pain, just find me fighters who will win'."

"Well…" Frost turned and made his way towards the edge of the ring. "Don't let me hold you up. Good luck in your next match."

Champa had extended one hand and was aiming for the ring, making Corset's breath hitch in her throat. Was he going for Frost or for Piccolo – or maybe even the referee for disqualifying his combatant!

"That's enough!" Vegeta stepped forward. "There's no need to destroy him or disqualify him."

"There's not?" Bulma raised an eyebrow, although they quickly fell. "Vegeta! Stop interfering and accept that he's been disqualified! Are you trying to get our Universe to lose?"

"Please don't say you wanna fight him," Corset's stomach was unsettled again.

"I'll beat him with my own two hands," Vegeta declared.

"Piccolo's defeat has been retracted," The referee pointed out. "He will participate in the next match and as many as necessary before the next competitor of your Universe is-"

"In that case, Piccolo forfeits!" Vegeta interrupted.

"Are you kidding me?" Bulma hollered. "Vegeta, stop twisting things and let Piccolo participate in the next fight!"

"Aww man," Yamcha chuckled, "Good luck convincing a Saiyan to let someone else fight for a change!"

"Dad's stupidly stubborn when he wants to be, Mama," Corset frowned. "Still, Piccolo should be the one to decide if he actually wants to forfeit his turn or not – not you!"

"Fine," Piccolo muttered, stunning the crowds. "Have it your way… I'm done."

"No you're not!" Bulma screeched. "Piccolo get your butt back in that ring!"

But the Namekian ignored her hollering, launching himself off the edge of the arena and touching down on the soil outside of it, officially declaring himself out-of-bounds.

"You idiot!" Corset snapped. "Why'd you give in? You know you're not doing him any favours by pandering to his every whim! How are we meant to teach him that you can't always get your way when you go and do something like that!"

"Calm down," Soba placed his hands on her arms, "Don't get too excited or you'll make us official parents during this tournament."

"Never in the history of using the two words 'calm down' has anyone ever actually calmed down!" Corset huffed. "This is ridiculous! He's such a spoilt child when he's like this!"

Her father took his place in the centre of the ring, facing his now-disgraced opponent.

"Hold on!" Champa interrupted. "I won't feel satisfied if you destroy him before I do! Stop hurrying things on for your own purposes!"

"Isn't this good for us, Champa?" Vados interjected. "It means that we've only had one fighter lose and four still remaining. The disqualification has been retracted and their opponent has forfeited. It leaves them with only two fighters left and us with four… or would you prefer to lose to Birus?"

"Frost! If you win the next match, I'll forget the embarrassment you've caused me! Win the fight after that and I might consider offering you some support!"

"Vegeta!" Birus seemed to be retaliating with his own backing. "Win this and make me feel better about this!"

The tension rose dramatically as both fighters faced off, waiting for their signal to start.

"Allowing me back into the ring would suggest that you are confident in your abilities," Frost smiled, his confidence apparently rejuvenated through the small break. "I hope that you understand you might regret this."

Vegeta seemed indifferent from what his daughter could tell. "Your voice irritates me."

"What was that?" Frost's face dropped.

"It's too early for you to be taking this match lightly," Piccolo interjected. "Watch yourself, Vegeta."

The confident smile across her father's face had appeared as Frost went into how his needle worked, using it only when the opponent had the upper hand. Corset wasn't interested, it wasn't too hard to have figured that one out for herself. Instead, she was far more intrigued by her father's strategy.

"… but it's not the most useful one to me," Frost's words cut across Corset's thoughts. A small droplet of purple suddenly oozed from his arm, catching her eye. "I was fighting up until now withholding my best weapon…"

"Geez, just how many needles does this guy have… and why would you want that stuck in your arm?" Soba shivered next to her. "What a freak."

"More like what a cheating ba-" Bulma was cut off by Krillin, who hissed a shush towards her and pointed towards his daughter. "Fine… what a cheating liar." Bulma hissed back. "That must be some kind of cyborg technology they've used on him to get those into his body like that."

"I'll use this poisonous weapon in the match," Frost continued, looking more and more confident. "I'll happily use it without holding back, without hesitation and without any shame against you."

"You still intend to use that thing?" The announcer hollered in disbelief. "Why do you find yourself above the rules set out by everyone else? I will have to-"

"You will not disqualify him!" Vegeta barked back. "I will not let this evil bastard be disqualified and miss my chance to destroy him!"

"Yeah! You tell him, Dad!" Trunks cheered. Corset wished she could have been as happy and naïve as Trunks on this one. Wasn't not killing another one of the rules of this tournament? If destroying meant killing in her dad's dictionary then the moron was going to land their Universe in a whole heap of trouble and get himself disqualified!

The announcer glanced towards both sides, apparently looking for approval. Neither Birus nor Champa seemed bothered by this turn of events. On the contrary, both seemed happy to let this go on.

"Both seem happy for this to continue," Frost declared. "So then, this match will be the only one which allows for weapons and poison to be used… and since we're taking away these rules as a foul, we should also ignore the foul about not killing, just in case my opponent dies of some kind of accident."

"I hope Vegeta's going to be alright," Bulma looked concerned. "He's putting on such a show about this."

The gong struck, cutting the announcer short of a sentence. Within a flash, Vegeta had transformed into a Super Saiyan while Frost launched himself forward. "The world of rule-breaking and death is my speciality! Watch slowly and carefully – the bloody show is about to start!"

Vegeta's fist lodged deep into Frost's stomach, sending him shooting dangerously fast towards his comrades, striking the edge of the atmospheric bubble upon the planet. It cracked and shattered, a small gaping hole now sat above the Sixth Universe's audience. At once, Vados was mending her work, indifferent to the state Frost was in. The demon had rebounded hard and now lay flat upon his back, on the dirt and off the arena ring. He was out-of-bounds.

"It's fine," Vegeta snapped. "I was holding back. Like hell I'm going to stoop as low as a guy like that." And within that moment, his Super Saiyan aura vanished, returning him back to his regular form.

There was an awkward silence around the ring as the announcer made his way over towards Frost, examining him for his own benefit. After checking for a pulse, he stood and nodded. "The winner is Contestant Vegeta!"

Their family and friends cheered and clapped, Corset feeling a sense of relief wash over her, glad that now her father was out of harm's way from that poison inside of Frost's body. _'Now why couldn't that have just happened from the start?'_ They were two foes down with three still to defeat and Universe Seven only had two combatants left. Her eyes turned away from her father, back over towards the contestants seating area. Monaka still seemed so bizarre to her, it was hard to read him. He didn't seem bothered by what'd been going on to his fellow combatants, nor to what Universe Six had shown them. He was supposed to be stronger than Goku, the third strongest fighter after Whis and Birus… Part of her couldn't wait to see what surprises he'd show them.

"Oi, Champa!" Birus' voice roared loudly over the crowds. "I've found a needle wound on one of my previous contestants! Given that he was fouled, why don't we allow him to take part once again?"

"Whatever," Champa shrugged his shoulders. "Have it your way!"

"Yeah!" Goku cheered excitedly. "So, does that mean I fight after Monaka then?"

"No!" Birus snapped, quickly composing himself. "I mean… no matter what, Monaka has to be the last one to fight."

"Aww, but why?" Goku frowned. "Why does Monaka really have to be the last one to fight? Why do you want him to be last so badly?"

"A trump card is always best saved for last," Birus responded, looking somewhat flustered.

"But me and Vegeta might end up winning the tournament before Monaka even gets a go!" Goku wailed.

"Well if that happens, so be it!"

"But he's looking so serious as if he's ready to fight!"

"Even though he passed out after seeing your Kamehameha in the first match," Whis cheerfully butted in.

"Shut up!" Birus hollered. "That meant nothing! Ignore Whis!"

"Papa, when's the next match gonna start?" Marron's voice cut over the conversation, making it much harder to hear what was going on. Corset's eyebrows rose dramatically when Birus slapped Goku across the ground, away from Monaka. Why did Krillin and Marron – and now everyone else around her – have to be having a conversation when the poor pregnant lady was trying to eavesdrop on a much more important one! Why was Birus so flustered right now? It was like a bad itch and she wanted to know!

"I would like to announce a change of rules about the tournament!" The announcer's voice overwhelmed the others' conversation. "We have just created a barrier around the ring – if a contestant touches the barrier, they will be considered out-of-bounds and will lose the match!"

Corset's face dropped and she hard to swallow the lump in her throat. A barrier? It was a good idea to stop any damage from attacks affecting the audience… but suddenly now there was a much bigger surface area to knock people onto and get them out-of-bounds. How would her father and Goku handle this? At this rate she probably wouldn't find out as once again, Birus and Champa were having an argument, high above the top of the barrier. The verbal disagreement turned quickly into a fight of rock-paper-scissors, each Hakaishin firing off their answers at an insane speed.

"You know, it's kinda horrifying to think that the fate of our planet rests in the hands of those two…" Soba muttered. "Neither of them seem very smart or mature… and both seem to like sticking the other's nose out of joint."

"Yeah, because you and Somen aren't like that at all," Corset sarcastically answered.

"We're not in charge of destroying things!" Soba snapped back. "And we're nowhere near this bad!"

Corset was about to snort when something niggled in the back of her mind, forcing her to turn away.

"… What is it?" Soba asked, sensing something odd was going on. "Oh geez, you're not having the baby here are you?"

"No," Corset slowly turned back to face him, a puzzled look on her face. "… I think… never mind. It's nothing."

"I'm not stupid, I know it's something," Soba pouted. "Tell me. What's wrong?"

The argument soon came to a stop, both Hakaishins deciding that having the barrier was alright. Universe Six's next contestant stepped up. Corset's eyes widened in shock as the giant metal-looking alien stood, towering easily over his colleagues. With one jolt he shot off from the contestants spot and landed heavily on the arena floor – which suddenly tilted at a dramatic angle!

"He's heavy!" Videl exclaimed as the ring came to a crash back on Vegeta's side. "Is your dad going to be alright?"

"Who knows," Corset gawked.


	20. 20 - Magetta the Metalman

**AN:** Two chapters in one go. Enjoy.

\- LilDBZBuddy89

* * *

 **Chapter 20 - Magetta the Metalman**

"Isn't he a robot?" The older Kaioshin of Universe Seven asked, turning to his Universe Six counterparts.

"The Metalmen in galactic system six-six-nine-five-zero should also exist in your universe," Came the response.

"The next combatant to face Contestant Vegeta is Otto Magetta from Universe Six!" The announcer declared, pointing towards the giant metal creature, who seemed to have taken the time to drink some bizarre looking drink. The contents looked horrifyingly like lava in Corset's view.

The gong was sounded by the Hakaishins of both universes. Magetta was on the move, stomping his way towards Vegeta. Within a flash he'd struck one heavy arm down onto the tiles; Vegeta having dodged the incoming attack.

"He compensates for his lack of speed with tremendous power," Piccolo noted.

Her father was having none of it. Each strike Magetta made was easily dodged – and her father wasn't even a Super Saiyan. Corset felt confident that this match would be over quickly. Quickly he'd gained an opening and had taken advantage of it, striking Magetta in his metal head with a heel.

Corset's ears screamed, instinctively she flinched and held her hands close to them. What the heck had just happened and why had that strike just sent a horrifying sound across the planet? She found herself able to open her eyes quicker than she could remove her hands from her head, baffled when she realised Magetta was slamming himself in the head with his own two metal arms! His head was quickly pounded into his metal body, his hands disappearing in after it as sparks flew. Then he suddenly pulled his head clean from his chest!

"He's not even damaged!" Krillin cried.

"What the hell kind of power was that?" Corset shrieked. "Geez, he's like Buu, pulling his head out of ridiculous places!"

Steam spouted from Magetta's point, he hollered out some bizarre noise, possibly in a language none of them were familiar with.

"He's alright!" The announcer declared. "He kept on striking himself on the head but he's alright!"

Magetta was on the attack again – his speed had increased. It was hard to tell if his power had gone up but Corset could see his speed had increased with how much harder her father was now having to work. He wasn't outdone, not by a long shot. In an opening, he'd shot between Magetta's legs and now stood across the arena, glancing back in his direction.

Magetta slammed his heavy arms into his torso. He extended both arms, then slowly started to spin, quickly gaining speed and momentum. He was an interesting fighter to watch but Corset could see he was having a hard time against her father. Her brother was happily cheering their dad on and she couldn't blame him; Vegeta was dominating this match. The Saiyan took to the skies, dodging Magetta's spinning attack with relative ease. Finally the machineman stopped spinning, changing his tactics.

"Watch your back, Vegeta!" Goku shouted. Her father wasn't far from the barrier recently set up… although Magetta was making no attempts to join him in the air.

"I wonder if he can fly…" Corset mumbled, watching cautiously.

Her father began firing down a rapid-fire attack, tens of energy balls raining down upon Magetta and the arena floor. Through the thick smoke, the metalman's head descended down a little into his chest once more. Then it looked as if his jaw opened, his head leaning unnaturally back.

"He's gonna fire something!" Tenshinhan gasped.

"Dad!" Trunks cried out.

A fiery breath of energy shot from Magetta's mouth, counteracting Vegeta's rapid-fire attacks and slowly pushing the impact zone towards Vegeta. This was bad: if it forced him back then he'd touch the new barrier!

"He's attacking with a weapon!" Birus hollered.

"Ah! I have information on this attack!" The announcer retorted. "This is Magetta's Lava Spit! It is not a weapon and so will be allowed to be used!"

' _What was he drinking then? It looked exactly the same as this Lava Spit stuff…'_ Corset's brow furrowed, her heart beating harder now.

Her father retreated, dodging the oncoming Lava Spit attack. Corset's breath hitched in her throat as he came close to the corner of the barrier, diverting away from it and keeping his distance in the air. _'It's limiting his movements. If Dad's gotta worry about not hitting the barrier and not being hit by that Lava Spit stuff then it's gonna slow him down. Damn it, this is why that other Hakaishin wanted that stupid barrier!'_

Magetta continued to fire his attack, following Vegeta's movements across the perimeter of the barrier. Not only was the attack and the barrier causing her father problems but now he also had to contend with the smoke rising up from the Lava Spit.

"Do you think that smoke's toxic?" Soba asked. "He's in a barrier so isn't this just gonna be like being stuck in a burning room with no exit?"

"What are you saying?" Bulma grabbed him by the shirt. "Are you saying my husband is going to be fried in that stupid barrier from this attack, or that he'll suffocate and die in there? Well?"

"Mama, that's not helping right now," Corset interjected.

"He's not going to be able to see with all that smoke about," Master Roshi looked dead serious. "… and I'm not so certain this is like the energy we use to sense… but perhaps he could use thermoception to determine where the attacks are coming from…"

"He means detecting where the heat of Magetta's attack is coming from," Trunks explained to a puzzled-looking Goten.

He needn't have bothered. With a dramatic entrance, the smoke and flames were dispersed and suffocated as Vegeta re-emerged as a Super Saiyan. "Don't get carried away! You're not the only one who can power up. Now I'll show you the terrifying power of the Super Saiyan!"

"Something's not right," Piccolo muttered. "Look at Vegeta."

"Oh? You noticed it?" Whis asked impressed.

"Why are we looking closer at your dad?" Soba asked.

Corset shrugged her shoulders, watching her father closely. He seemed to have a lot of his power left over… but his stamina was starting to lag from the looks of things.

"Is it me or is it a little… warmer?" Eighteen asked.

"That must be the heat from Magetta's attacks," Krillin answered, gasping suddenly. "Oh man! If it's seeping through to us, exactly how hot must it be the other side of that barrier?"

It would explain the lack of stamina given all her father'd done. Corset took a small breath in to try and calm herself but her gut wasn't going to stop spinning so easily. Now that she was paying closer attention, she could feel a slight pressure on her bladder…

Perfect timing. Why now? Rising from her seat awkwardly, she earned a couple of nervous glances from her mother and Soba. "I need the loo." She announced nonplussed, feeling she needed to rest their nerves.

"That's a good point, where are the toilets?" Bulma mused, glancing behind them.

* * *

By the time the two women returned, the match had turned once more. For one thing, the ground had started to shake under their feet. For another, Corset could feel her father's energy spiking dangerously high considering the toll it was taking on his stamina. Her mother was actually able to out-run her back to the stands! Undeterred, Corset finished the rest of the journey through the air, levitating and floating as best she could considering her centre of gravity had been thrown off. "What's going on?"

"Papa's gonna fire it at the metal guy!" Trunks was pointing towards the ring. It was hard to make out the people within it at first due to the sheer brightness of Vegeta's Galick Gun charging up, illuminating the sides of the cube they were still apparently fighting in. He looked pretty tired, Corset noted.

"Contestant Vegeta is charging up a lot of energy!" The referee cried. "Ouch! On the other hand – ow! Contestant Magetta is heating up the ring further!" Indeed Magetta had started to spurt more steam, his red aura suddenly rearing up around his body. It was becoming harder to see now with the additional vapour and steam within the cube – which apparently was now escaping! Corset choked as a sudden gust of hot air caught in her throat, sapping the coolness from inside. She spluttered and hunched over, coughing and spluttering for breath as the heat around them continued to rise. _'Shit! This is ridiculously hot – what about my baby?'_ She couldn't protest if she couldn't stop coughing. Fortunately her mother and Soba were already on the case, shouting towards the ring for Magetta to stop raising the temperature or for the referee to bring in a new rule to protect the spectators from the heat.

Vegeta fired his Galick Gun attack, the purple wave of energy shooting straight towards its target, who had also launched another wave of his Lava Spit attack. The two attacks collided in mid-air, sending a shockwave across the arena which bulged against the barrier. Something bizarre happened to Magetta's attack as suddenly his lava began to solidify, overpowering Vegeta's own attack and forcing it back towards him! The Saiyan Prince barely dodged the incoming dark coating, swerving out of harm's way. Within a flash, Magetta was firing another Lava Spit, Vegeta teleporting and dodging each incoming move.

"Look out!" Goku cried.

Through the smoke, Vegeta had cut clean through Magetta's attack with his palm, leaving him wide open to the incoming rocky club in Magetta's hand. He was unable to react, slammed clean in the head by the giant club with a ferocious swing from Magetta.

"Papa!" Trunks gasped.

Vegeta tumbled rapidly towards the ground, righting himself too late as his boots tapped onto the ground between the edge of the ring and the edge of the cube barrier. The spectators from Universe Seven couldn't help but frown in worry, their hearts in their throats.

The referee dashed across the ring floor, leaping off the tiles and onto the soil, squatting down behind Vegeta. She knew he was confirming but Corset couldn't help wonder why.

"Safe!" The referee announced, rising to his feet.

"Safe?" Bulma repeated flabbergasted.

"Is he serious?" Krillin gawked. "He looks like he's touching the floor!"

"Are you kidding me?" Champa rose from his sitting positon and hollered at the referee. "He's not safe! He's out-of-bounds!"

"No, he is not out-of-bounds," The referee shook his head. "Vegeta landed on a broken piece of the stage. That still counts as part of the ring. He is not actually standing on the soil, therefore he is not out-of-bounds."

' _Nice technicality,'_ Corset wiped her brow and allowed herself to exhale loudly. For a moment there, she thought they only had Monaka to rely on (even though Goku had been given the go-ahead to participate again, she didn't like to rely on him too much. Apparently his easy-going nature and lack-of-guard was getting worse in his old age).

Vegeta rose off the ground, still struggling with his stamina and gaining back enough oxygen. His facial expression was hard to read and it set his daughter on edge. She'd seen that look before and it never lead to anything good. Before she knew it, she'd reached out to grab Soba's hand, body tensing up in anticipation. "What?" He asked her but she didn't answer, too focussed on what he dad was about to do.

Magetta fired another Lava Spit towards the Saiyan, who negated it with nothing but his aura, his rage building. The aura forced Magetta back on his hunches, inching closer towards the edge of the ring as Vegeta's ki skyrocketed, building up for a powerful attack. His hands clasped together in front of him, palms together and fingers spread as his ki continued to gather. The force was starting to create cracks in the barrier in several places, alarming the spectators. Shards broke off before the entire thing collapsed and spread, opening the ring area back up to the rest of the arena. Still Vegeta's ki continued to rise, the aura surrounding his body glowing brighter and brighter.

"Vados!" Champa could be heard shouting over the commotion. "Why didn't you make a stronger barrier?"

"Because you said things like that didn't matter," came Vados' relaxed response.

Now the crowds were able to see their opponents clearly but that came at a price: they were now all exposed to the winds and energy being created by Vegeta's attack. Corset was glad she still had hold on Soba's hand but found she was starting to strain under the pressure, working to keep herself anchored to her seat. "Dad!" She shouted out. "You need to control it better! Divert the energy!"

"Is he really going to use that here?" Krillin shrieked horrified. "It nearly destroyed Earth – this planet's a lot smaller!"

"FINAL FLASH!" Her father's voice echoed loudly as the beam shot free of his hands. Corset shielded her eyes with her free hand, bracing herself for impact from the inevitable shockwave. It came and it hit hard, slamming her into the back of her seat. She could feel Soba was now floating somewhere close to her, still clutching tightly to her hand until suddenly, the pressure subsided. Baffled, she opened an eye to see Whis had joined them, forming a barrier around their group of spectators to protect them from Vegeta's attack. The Final Flash was being held back, somehow Magetta was holding his own.

"Come on, Papa!" Trunks was yelling loudly.

"Keep it up!" Bulma joined in fiercely waving her arms about.

"Come on, Dad!" Corset hollered. She could feel her insides being rearranged and kept her free hand on her stomach, feeling her unborn baby kicking hard against her… which caused her to flinch more than once. Still, perhaps this little one could sense the stakes outside her mother's body were high. Or perhaps not. Who knew what she could sense in there.

Magetta was starting to slide back every-so-often.

The Final Flash suddenly vanished, the tiles below Magetta's feet crumbled away as an incoming strike forced him into the air. "You piece of metal junk!" Vegeta was there, ready to deliver the final blow, striking Magetta down onto the soil with a heavy crash.

The referee, who'd been hiding behind one of the other edges of the ring, dashed over to confirm or reject the thought that was passing through everyone's minds.

It was as if an eternity had passed before finally he rose again: "Out-of-bounds! Contestant Magetta is out-of-bounds, meaning Contestant Vegeta of Universe Seven is the winner!"

The group around them began to cheer and rejoice; that was now three of Universe Six's contestants beaten. Two to go – and the best past was now Universe Seven had three competitors still in the competition! As her father joined the other contestants, Corset decided to join her brother and mother's celebrations, quickly regretting it as she pulled something in her back!

"That was a close one," Krillin sighed relieved. "For a moment I thought he was gonna go berserk on us and blow up the planet!"

"Um…" Mr Satan was pointing towards Universe Six. Corset followed his finger and found herself double-taking. Magetta was sat by his comrades… and was crying? It wasn't too surprising considering how high the tension was between their Hakaishin but it did make him look so gentle, as if it wouldn't harm a fly. Corset felt a small pang of sorrow for him but it couldn't be helped, she had to pick sides because she didn't particularly want her home planet to be transferred to another universe!

"It's kinda hard to believe this is the same guy who gave Vegeta a hard time…" Tenshinhan muttered.

"Yeah, you're telling us," Yamcha agreed. "He looks so harmless now."

"Vegeta called him a 'piece of metal junk'," Whis explained. "Magetta is a Metalman. They're mentally weak and lose the will to fight if they are insulted."

"Why did you not tell us this sooner?" Birus demanded.

"It would have been boring if we'd known that from the start," Goku explained, their words barely heard over the mutterings closer to where Corset was sitting. Her mother's cheering drowned out whatever came out of Goku's mouth next and then, annoyingly, he stopped talking as soon as her mother'd stopped cheering!

"The next guy's up," Soba mumbled.

Indeed he was. Was it the Saiyan or the tall, purple guy? Corset glanced over; the former was out of his seat. The Saiyan of Universe Six was making his way over towards the ring. She took great interest in finding out how the Saiyans of Universe Six differed from those of Universe Seven. The guy had mentioned earlier that their race of Saiyans were part of a patrol group determined to help the people of their universe, nothing like the pillaging Saiyans of Universe Seven. Would they be able to transform into Super Saiyans, or perhaps something else?

"The ring has been restored," Whis declared, himself and Vados having restored it to its former glory… and then some! Corset double-took when it occurred to her they'd increased the size by quite a lot, baffled as to how they'd managed to find the space to do so given that the ring was surrounded by seats. The seating area opposite them had indeed vanished and not only that, it seemed the basic seating arrangements were being changed around them. Below them started to glow, rising a little into the air and reforming underneath, turning into what looked like a gigantic cushion. They were now floating about twenty feet in the air, having floated back a little further from the ring itself.

"That's some magic those two have," Krillin gawked.

"It's a lot more comfortable than what we had before," Videl noted.

"The ring has been expanded to lessen the likelihood of ring-outs," Vados explained. "Seeing as all of the previous matches have resulted in the victor being declared using the out-of-bounds rule."

"Birus, Champa; what should we do about the areal out-of-bounds rule?" Whis asked.

"We'll get rid of it," Birus answered, eyes peering over to his brother across the ring. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"It's fine," Champa jeered back, appearing just as confident as ever, despite him having lost three of his fighters. "Let's just get this next match started!"


	21. 21 - Mirror Images

**Chapter 21 – Mirror Images**

Both Saiyan representatives of the two universes stepped forward onto the arena, squaring off against the other while patiently waiting for the gong to signal the start.

"The next contestant to challenge Universe Seven's contestant Vegeta is Universe Six's Contestant Cabba!" The referee hollered down his microphone, revving up the tension unnecessarily. The crowds of Universes Six and Seven all had their eyes peeled on the two smaller dots upon the ring, waiting with bated breath to hear the sound of the gong, waiting for the match to officially start.

"I wonder what the Saiyans of the other universe will be like?" Tenshinhan mumbled quietly.

"Only one way to find out," Krillin responded with a gulp. "… He doesn't look very strong but knowing our luck…"

"Do you think your dad will be ok?" Videl asked Corset quietly, getting a shrug of the shoulders as a response. Truthfully Corset wasn't sure how her father would handle this, being the representative prince of the race from their universe and not having many other Saiyans around him. Sure there was Tarble (her uncle) and there was Goku but that was it. All the other Saiyans were dead. In Universe Six, it seemed that the Saiyan race was going from strength to strength, or at least no mention had been made that their race had suffered the same fate as those of her universe.

"It's strange but… that Saiyan reminds me of Goku as a kid," Yamcha smiled. "Something about the stance and the air he gives… but then he doesn't have a tail like Goku did."

"Maybe he got it removed?" Puar suggested.

"Maybe."

Cabba lowered himself into a very familiar stance, one that passed a shiver across Corset's body. _'He stands just like Dad…'_ He had it spot-on, disturbingly accurate considering their chance encounter.

The gong reverberated across the dome. Cabba went on the offensive. His moves felt familiar, each strike was predictable even if she couldn't tell exactly what he'd lead with all the time. It felt as if she were watching a battle she'd seen and been in millions of times before. Her father seemed to be dealing well with parrying and dodging Cabba's moves, albeit Vegeta's own attacks were also being countered. One strike successfully caught Vegeta by surprise as Cabba lodged his fist into the prince's stomach.

"He got him!" Trunks gasped.

"Don't get carried away!" Vegeta snapped, catching Cabba's hands and throwing them out wide, leaving the Universe Six Saiyan wide open to a false drop-kick, Vegeta's other leg rising instead to force the Saiyan back several feet. Cabba didn't lose balance, merely skidded back on his heels before regaining control, dropping to one knee.

"He's tired already?" Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "I realise who he's up against but after just one successful hit…?"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Master Roshi responded. "Let's just watch and see."

"Out of stamina already?" Vegeta asked, a smile having crept across his face.

Cabba brought both hands to his left, cupping them in such a way that made Corset's jaw drop in shock. Cabba's hands were in exactly the same position as her father's hands whenever he was using the Galick Gun – and obviously that hadn't escaped her father's notice!

"Go!" Cabba hollered out, firing the familiar purple beam of light towards his target. It struck – it surprisingly stuck Vegeta! But the Prince wasn't struggling. On the contrary, he countered with his own energy blast, the two now duelling it out trying to overpower the other.

"Their attacks look the same to me!" Soba hollered over the noise.

"That's because they really are the same!" Corset cried back towards him, part of her infuriated with his unnecessary comments. Everyone could see it was the same thing, why was he choosing to be vocal about it – and why was her bladder being assaulted from the inside? "Damn it, of all the times to need to pee!" She didn't care how crude she came across, she was far too preoccupied waiting for the moment where her father won the struggle. Annoyingly both Saiyans seemed to instead choose to cancel their attacks simultaneously.

"Let's get serious," Vegeta declared. "We're evenly matched in our regular forms."

' _Liar,'_ Corset snapped internally. _'You just don't want to show off your actual power yet!'_

"Hurry up and transform into a Super Saiyan!" Vegeta barked.

The demand seemed to cause some surprise to Cabba. "… That's the transformation you and the other one did before, isn't it?"

"Good, then you understand," Vegeta nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. "Now hurry up and transform."

' _Can he transform?'_ Corset wondered.

"… I can't," Cabba responded regretfully.

What?" Vegeta's face dropped. "You aren't able to transform?"

"No, I'm afraid I can't…" Cabba shook his head. Suddenly his stance stiffened. "Please, will you teach me how?"

' _Fat chance,'_ Corset's lower lip jutted out. _'He wouldn't even teach me how to do it and I'm his kid! He didn't even help Trunks! Like he's going to teach some random stranger…'_ She paused and rested her hand on her stomach, wondering if her baby would one day be able to make the transformation. It wasn't going to be an easy thing to teach, especially with the emotional turmoil that came with accessing it for the first time. Would she be able to withstand seeing her child be put under such horrific pressure like that… and was she prepared to be the cause of it?

"For the sake of my family who is waiting for me back on Planet Salad," Cabba continued, "I need to get stronger and bring peace to the universe."

Her father seemed to either have a headache or was trying hard not to smack this other Saiyan clean between the eyes. "… We are in the middle of a battle right now…"

"Oh hell no, is he seriously going to teach him?" Corset's words had spewed from her mouth before she'd even registered them. "You… You! You absolute, unbelievable, evil, moronic asshole! You left Trunks and I to figure it out for ourselves and now you're going to help this guy? I will smack you in the face!"

"Corset!" Bulma protested, rising from her sitting position. "Don't put your father off from the match and do not use such language in front of the kids!"

"It's ok; I've got Pan's ears covered," Videl chimed in.

"Corset's mad," Marron mused. "She used a bad word. Will she have no food before bedtime?"

"Yes," Eighteen nodded, glaring over towards the heavily pregnant woman. "If she's unlucky enough, her baby will come out and tell her off too."

"Ouchie!" Marron giggled.

"Goten knows better than to bring those words into this family," Chichi scolded, one eye passing towards her youngest son who was doing a good job of avoiding it.

"I really don't care about letting a few minor words out right now, is this actually happening or not?" Corset snapped back, eyes pinned to the ring. "How else am I going to know how angry I need to be at this man?"

"How disappointing this is to see a Saiyan begging to be taught how to transform in the midst of battle…" Vegeta grumbled, his aura picking up. "You… you still dare to call yourself a Saiyan?" With a howl, he transformed into a Super Saiyan, the look of anger on his face forcing Cabba to take a step back.

'… _You bastard,'_ Corset gritted her teeth. _'How predictable do you have to get?'_

Vegeta launched into an offensive, completely dominating over the regular Saiyan, launching a fist into his solar plexus. In a flash Vegeta was behind him, smacking a fist into Cabba's cheek, sending him shooting towards the other side of the arena. Within another moment, Vegeta had caught up in flight and overtaken him, pounding him with a barrage of attacks too fast for Cabba to deal with.

"Why's Vegeta suddenly acting like this?" Bulma was growing concerned.

"Because he's trying to push Cabba into transforming," Corset answered unfazed by her father's sudden display of aggression. "It's a basic method he's using but it'll probably work… if the Saiyans of Universe Six can transform."

"So beating the living daylights out of him is going to make him transform?" Soba raised an eyebrow. "Torture makes you transform? That's pretty grim."

"It's… it's more than that," Corset shook her head. "It's not just physical torture… the transformation is triggered by emotional stress more than anything. It's created by a need to transform, not a desire to do so. You have to need it, you have to be that far into a corner where nothing else will work – and even then, there's no guarantee you'll be able to access it. It's not a reliable source of getting out of tight spaces, think of the thousands upon thousands of Saiyans who have died in battle without ever being able to transform. It's only now in the last decade and a half or so that any Saiyan has been able to achieve it in the numbers we have… If Dad doesn't play this right, he could end up killing Cabba and getting himself disqualified."

"What?" Bulma looked more horrified than before. "Vegeta can't do that! We need him to keep on fighting! He's only got one more person after this guy!"

"… I never knew how dark that transformation was," Soba took a large gulp, eyes still on his pregnant girlfriend. "I can't believe you went through something like that."

"It was simulated, it's fine," Corset flat panned. "If anything I was probably more fortunate that it was Goku and not my dad… Goku's nicer."

Vegeta was still continuing his assault, striking Cabba into the air with a single kick. "With that level of fighting, how could you even think about participating in this tournament?"

Cabba's mouth opened, muttering something as he fell towards the tiles. Corset couldn't make it out but could take an educated guess. Her father snatched the Saiyan out of the air, holding him by his shirt. The chilling message he uttered next told her all she needed to know:

"If you even think about surrendering then I will kill you."

"Papa!" Trunks gasped. "You can't! Come on, snap out of it!"

"He's not serious, Trunks," Corset butted in. "He's trying to find whatever he needs to say to make Cabba transform."

"Whilst what you're saying makes sense, I can't help but feel a little apprehensive over this," Krillin wasn't as confident. "… He may not be evil now but I still wouldn't put it past Vegeta to slip up every now and then. We are due another midlife crisis killing from him."

The latter comment earned him a fist to the skull from Bulma. "Don't even joke about this!" She snapped. "My husband is not going to kill anyone! He's past that! He's better than that!"

A yellow ball of energy started to form in Vegeta's free hand, Corset feeling her heart thumping harder than before, ignoring the increasing pressure in her abdomen. The Saiyan Prince was getting ready to fire it at his captive, Cabba looking as if he were a defeated man. This was the moment, it was now or never. "I will finish this now. When I'm done with you, I'll go to Planet Salad and I will blow it up! Your family will also be slaughtered!"

The energy attack was slapped to the side, knocked clean from Vegeta's hands. Surprised, the Saiyan Prince of Universe Seven released his opponent. Cabba's body had the familiar golden hue surrounding it, the final straw having been struck within his mind. Corset could see the logic in her father's actions, knew exactly where he'd planned to go with it. She'd concluded that the reason Saiyans had historically struggled to get themselves out of mortal danger was because of how oppressed their emotions and ties to one another typically were. If her father's attitude in her early life was anything to go by, their lack of care for others' lives and therefore the missing reasons to keep on going were what hindered their powers. Sure, her father's transformation had been triggered by rage towards himself but more often than not, the way their group had managed to access their Super Saiyan forms was through fear of loss.

Cabba was currently in that world, fearing the loss of all those he cared about, fearing the loss of those he was striving to protect. His body was reacting.

"Keep Planet Salad out of this!" The Saiyan sneered, the glint in his eyes there. Still he wasn't quite hitting the mark; the hue was there but the physical transformation still hadn't taken place. He needed more of a push. "If you do anything to Planet Salad… If you do anything to my family…"

' _Almost there,'_ Corset shifted forward in anticipation.

"I will…. NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Cabba's aura burst free, his life force racing higher and higher. The ground below his feet cracked and crumbled as his aura rose, the golden hue of his hair forming within an instant. The crack of the shockwave struck the spectators, forcing a couple of them to protect themselves from the force being emitted.

"I don't believe it!" Krillin cried. "He did it!"

"I will never forgive you," Cabba repeated, glaring at his apparently calm opponent. "I will absolutely never forgive you!" He was off, launching a punch clean into Vegeta's waiting palms. The shock of the hit sent the Saiyan Prince shooting back across the tiles on his heels, electricity dancing above them, further charged by the atmosphere. Cabba continued his offensive, racing towards his foe and continuing to launch out his fists. The impact and speed of his attacks had risen, as expected. What Corset hadn't expected to see was just how much her father was on the defensive and wasn't attacking back.

"He's being pushed back," Yamcha sounded worried. "He's actually being pushed back!"

"Come on, Vegeta!" Bulma hollered loudly. "You show that scrawny little kid what you're made of!"

"You can do it, Papa!" Trunks cheered.

Vegeta ducked under Cabba's fists, tripping him with a clean sweep – Cabba's boots connected simultaneously with Vegeta's spine, kicking him several feet up into the air.

' _Ride it out,'_ Corset glanced up, following her father's trajectory. _'The initial burst will wear off. Ride it out, Dad.'_

Her eyes widened at the awe of Cabba's speed. The Saiyan was suddenly waiting for Vegeta, slamming his fists into the older Saiyan's back. With a holler, Cabba started to rapidly fire energy blasts down after the falling Saiyan. The first struck, engulfing the ring floor with thick, acrid smoke and dust. Each explosion knocked Vegeta's stamina, each strike knocking him back from retaliating.

"This is insane!" Master Roshi cried. "That Saiyan's actually overwhelming Vegeta!"

"He reminds me of a certain someone when he used to get angry!" Krillin spluttered.

"Yeah," Corset nodded in agreement, "Too bad that certain someone isn't here to see how much of a pain he can be!"

Cabba's stamina seemed to know no bounds as he continued his rapid fire attack, not faltering or slowing down. Unfortunately for him, this was where his domination ended, as Vegeta finally lashed out with a swipe of his hand, forcing all incoming energy blasts to explode mid-air. The ring and arena were lit up with a blinding flash of light, Corset having to shield her eyes. The explosion of energy momentarily made it difficult to sense out her father or Cabba's life forces; she had no way of knowing what was going on.

When her vision did return, she was surprised to find Cabba's fist had connected clean with her father's forehead… but whether the attack hadn't affected him or if Cabba had been stopped in his tracks, her father was standing with a smile on his face.

"That's good," Vegeta grinned. "Don't forget that feeling."

The move seemed to have knocked Cabba into submission because the Super Saiyan transformation vanished, leaving him back in his regular form. He removed his fist from Vegeta's forehead, taking a step back onto the ring.

"Super Saiyan becomes possible through anger," Vegeta went on. "Don't forget that feeling."

Cabba took a while to respond. "… Right, of course."

"Try and transform again," Vegeta instructed. Cabba seemed uncertain, which only earned him an earache as Vegeta snapped, "I said transform! Don't make me repeat myself!"

"Y-Yes!" Cabba spluttered back. His ki shifted as he began to focus, energy rising. With a howl he transformed once more, surprising the spectators of either Universes.

"That was well controlled…" Corset muttered.

"You appear to have some talent," Vegeta smiled.

"You were being cruel to make me transform, weren't you?" Cabba asked.

Vegeta nodded. Without uttering a word, his body suddenly went under another transformation, his life force unaltered despite the dramatic change in appearance. His hair had gone from golden to the familiar blue shade of the Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan state. "This is the latest Saiyan transformation. It's called Super Saiyan Blue. If you continue training, you'll be able to unlock your hidden potential and come this far, too."

"I can transform into that, too?" Cabba was in awe.

Cabba's defences were non-existant as Vegeta drove his fist into the smaller Saiyan's stomach. The single hit knocked the Super Saiyan out of him, Cabba falling to the ground in a ball.

"Don't ever forget this pain," Vegeta warned.

The referee rushed over to check Cabba over. Corset sighed and rose, knowing exactly how this match had ended. "I have to go to the loo again. Little missus in here is deciding to use my bladder as a punching bag."

"Right now?" Bulma asked incredulously.

"Dad's won," Corset replied cooly, turning on her heels and leaving the soft furnishings below. As she made her way over to the toilet block, she heard the announcer declare that Cabba had been defeated by knock-out, awarding Vegeta with another win.

She'd have to be quick.


	22. 22 - Universe Six's Trump Card

**Chapter 22 – Universe Six's Trump Card**

They were standing upon the ring when Corset was making her return. Her father had transformed into their latest Saiyan transformation, whatever people were calling it. Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan was getting to be a mouthful – she thought she'd heard someone refer to it as Super Saiyan Blue…

"Did I miss much?" She asked, settling back down next to Soba.

"They've both been standing still since the match started," He responded.

"That's… weird," Corset mused, eyes pinning onto the two fighters below. On further observation, her father seemed to be somewhat agitated judging by his expression and stance… The other guy, Hit, was standing with a basic defence, hands up in front of his face. Corset studied the two fighters for a little while longer, trying to spot any weaknesses in the other and coming up with nothing. _'No wonder they've been standing still. How boring. Someone move!'_

Vegeta was the first to move, barely taking a step forward before Hit responded. He moved towards the Saiyan, Vegeta went to react and deflect the incoming attack.

Instead he shot back, knocked clean off his feet.

"Vegeta!" Bulma gasped.

"What happened? I thought Vegeta…" Yamcha was aghast.

' _He got to Dad first…'_ Corset's eyes were now wide open in awe. Hit had managed to somehow outmanoeuvre her father in his Super Saiyan Blue form and knocked him back with a single hit. She'd barely managed to spot it amongst the blurs of their bodies moving.

Vegeta rose back onto his feet, once again ready for anything his opponent could throw.

"You should give up," Hit suggested calmly.

This agitated Vegeta, unsurprisingly. "What? Don't get cocky over one lucky shot!" With a roar, he revved up his aura, his ki shimmering around as if he were powering up (it was difficult to tell on account of the Super Saiyan Blue form being Godly and therefore impossible to sense). "From now on, it'll be me on the attack!" And with that declaration, Vegeta launched himself forwards off the tiles. In a moment, he was behind Hit. The next thing Corset knew, her father was once again sliding back across the tiles, flipping himself up and over, landing safely upon his feet.

' _Another? He outran Dad again?'_ She was flabbergasted.

"Did you see his attack?" Goku was asking Piccolo, his voice just about loud enough for the others to pick up on.

"No," Piccolo responded.

Corset took a long breath in and gulped down hard. She hadn't seen it at all and judging by the look on Vegeta's face, he too was having difficulty seeing any of Hit's attacks. But he wasn't one to give up and Corset found herself starting to hope that her dad had some secret up his sleeve. Her eyes went back to Hit, widening as a chill ran down her back. His stance hadn't changed. He seemed almost as if he'd barely moved.

Vegeta seemed hesitant to attack, eyes pinned keenly on his opponent. Within a flash, Hit was a blur once more. Several invisible shots were sent out, several impossibly quick attacks struck Vegeta who was now finding himself being knocked about like a punching bag. If Corset concentrated, she could just about make out a flash of purple with every hit that struck her father, just about making out where he'd been attacked from. The Saiyan Prince stumbled back as Hit relinquished his offensive, returning back to the same stance as before.

Her father teleported, widening the distance between the two of them. He extended one hand out, Corset recognising that as his opening stance for his Big Bang Attack.

Before she even had time to ask if he was going to fire that in such an enclosed place, Hit had responded… by putting his hands in what she'd assumed to be a jacket.

He seemed disinterested in the blatantly imminent attack,

"Don't look down on me!" Vegeta hollered.

Hit did it again. He was there, he'd knocked a fist into her father's abdomen and taken him clean off the floor once again.

"Dad!" Trunks gasped.

"I couldn't tell why Vegeta got knocked back like that!" Bulma shivered. "What happened? Did anyone see it?" She glanced around at the others, no one was able to answer her question. Not even Corset had seen the moment of travel, just the result. She was speechless.

Vegeta slowly started to rise off the tiles, struggling.

"Do you understand the situation you're in now?" Hit asked. "Surrender."

' _He won't…'_ Corset sighed anxiously. _'Dad can't surrender. His pride won't let him.'_ She was beginning to hope that Hit would put her father out of his misery sooner rather than later, as harsh as it sounded. From what she'd barely been able to see, there was a clear difference in their capabilities. Hit was clearly Champa's trump card, his greatest asset. He was miles and miles above the rest of Universe Six's warriors; none of them compared to him.

Would someone like Goku be able to fight him? What about this mysterious Monaka? How would Hit compare to the Hakaishins of each Universe?

She jumped as Goku suddenly appeared amongst them. He took no interest in anyone else other than Jaco, asking, "Did you see his attacks, Jaco?"

"I didn't," Came Jaco's response.

"Wow, not even with your fantastic eyesight?" Goku asked, sounding impressed.

"That's right," Jaco nodded.

Vegeta had managed to rise back again to full height. The damage he'd taken was unnerving but there was still fire and will in his eyes.

"Have you finished thinking up a strategy?" Hit asked.

Vegeta smiled back, revving up his aura once again. The air around the two fighters began to pick up, sweeping dust across the tiles. The air of confidence in the Saiyan's stance would have been reassuring had he been fighting any other foe. However, this opponent left Corset still feeling anxious and uncertain about her father's next move and its success.

"All I have to do…" Vegeta started, "… Is hit you with one solid attack." In a flash, he'd thrown himself forward towards Hit. Again the flash of light went off; Hit's right fist was sitting against Vegeta's abdomen. The Saiyan's hand had grabbed onto Hit's wrist, limiting his movement and going in for his own strike, drawing back his fist. Vegeta's fist never made it, it didn't manage to strike its target, inches from Hit's face. Hit's free hand had forced its way into the Saiyan's stomach, lodged a fair way in.

The blue in her father's hair vanished as he collapsed face-first onto the ground.

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried, rising onto her feet.

Corset scanned his life force, relieved to sense it was still there… but she knew how this fight had ended. It didn't take sensing energy to know that her dad was clearly out cold.

"Killing is against the rules, right?" Hit asked the referee, who merely nodded. "…What should I do? He's not in any condition to be able to surrender."

The referee didn't need to check over Vegeta to come to the right conclusion. "C-Contestant Vegeta has been knocked out. Contestant Hit of Universe Six is the winner!"

Unsurprisingly, Champa seemed gleefully overjoyed to see a victory passed onto his side, not even trying to hide his happiness. It wasn't as if Birus had been hiding his confidence in his fighters with every victory they'd brought him…

"Dad!" Trunks had left the group, dashing forwards towards the ring, closely followed by Goten.

"Krillin, give Vegeta a senzu bean," Goku instructed.

"Y-Yeah, right," Krillin nodded as he stood, gently leaving the ground and following the two younger demi-Saiyans.

"That guy is extraordinarily fast…" Jaco muttered.

"Yeah, I think we can all agree on that," Goku nodded, a stern expression on his face.

"But there's so much more going on when he attacks," Jaco continued, "Right when he attacks, he disappears completely."

"Y-You could see that?" Goku raised his eyebrows. "So, he's invisible for a moment?"

"If that was true, his clothes would still be seen," Jaco snorted.

"Oh… yeah, I guess you're right," Goku mused. He seemed generally interested. "Maybe it's Instant Transmission… but then again, I can't move as freely as he's been able to without having to concentrate a lot harder than he seemed to… So maybe it's not that…"

"Trying to guess what it is isn't going to help us deal with it," Corset pointed out. "You can call it whatever you want but unless you or Monaka know how to deal with it, it's no good."

"I'm just curious, that's all," Goku explained. He was cut off by a loud thump, drawing their ear and eyes back to the arena ring below. Vegeta had been revived and apparently was taking the frustration of his loss out on the tiles. A noticeable crack and dip lay at his fists.

"He could be using the Time-Leap technique," The alien sitting next to Jaco suggested, raising one of his many tentacles. Corset'd forgotten who he was meant to be.

"What's Time-Leap?" Goku asked.

"I've only heard rumours but apparently there are people who can leap through a little amount of time," The alien explained. "If I'm not mistaken, they can leap through a tenth of a second."

"I don't get what you're saying," Goku frowned.

"Then I'll explain," Jaco responded. "They can freeze time for a tenth of a second for everyone but during that time, they can still move. Even though it's only zero point one seconds, for people with extraordinary speeds, it's still quite an advantage."

"Didn't you say that controlling time was a big crime according to galactic laws?" Bulma cut in.

"Yeah," Jaco nodded.

"Then why don't you just go and arrest that guy?" Bulma snapped. "He broke galactic laws doing what he did to Vegeta!"

"I won't," Jaco turned away, "I don't want to die."

"I can't see Champa taking it well if Jaco does try to do anything," Corset could see his point, glancing back down to the arena floor.

"If you get him arrested then I won't be able to fight him," Goku added.

"Are you kidding me?" Bulma turned on the taller Saiyan. "You guys are so frustrating to work with, sometimes!"

"Contestant Hit will now face his next opponent," The referee's voice cut across the arena. "His next opponent from Universe Seven is Contestant Son Goku!"

Corset's eyes widened, her head spun back over towards the chart in confusion. "Wait – I thought Monaka was next? Why is Goku suddenly ahead of him?"

"Yes! Finally!" Goku sounded ecstatic, although the fact he didn't just jump up and head towards the ring suggested he was taking this fight seriously. "So, what can I do to deal with this Time-Leap thing?"

"Dunno," Both Jaco and the other alien responded.

"Huh… so, I'm in trouble then?" Goku asked.

"Yeah," Both Jaco and the other alien answered.

"Better get going then…" Goku left them and headed down towards the ring, passing the two boys, Vegeta and Krillin on the way. Corset watched with her heart in her throat as the two full-blooded Saiyans exchanged a couple of words before Vegeta, Trunks, Goten and Krillin vacated the ring.

"Whis!" Birus barked. "You should know the way to deal with that technique. Now would be the time to tell Goku."

"… It would be good training for him to work it out on his own," Whis responded politely.

"You have got to be kidding me! This isn't the time for training!" Birus snapped back.

Whis was unmoved. "We should let Goku handle this on his own."

Corset didn't catch the rest of the conversation but she was alarmed by the look of panic on Piccolo's face. The Namekians had sensitive ears and could hear sounds far too low for a Saiyan or Earthling. Something wasn't right…

She turned and shuffled her way up towards Dende, who also seemed concerned. "Did you hear them?" She whispered.

The younger Namekian slowly nodded.

"What did they say?" Corset asked, unable to shuffle up any closer because of the strain it was putting her back under.

"I… I can't say," Dende frowned.

"What? Why not?" Corset whispered more urgently than before. "If it's important information about the fight then it's our right to know!"

But Dende stayed silent. Whether it was out of fear for the Hakaishins and their helpers or some other unknown reason, Corset couldn't be sure. So she was left begrudgingly in the dark about what was going on. Abandoning her advances, she shuffled back to her position next to Soba, eyes back on the arena floor below.

The gong sounded, the referee announced the opening of the match. Goku bowed at his opponent before putting up his defences.

"Did you forget to transform?" Hit asked, his hands still in his jacket pockets.

"Oh…" Goku blinked in surprise. "Right. It uses a lot of stamina to do that transformation so I'm gonna save it for later. I wanna buy as much time as possible until I've figured out a way to beat you."

' _Of course you are…'_ Corset felt a wave of nausea hit her. Fingers crossed, Goku wasn't making a mistake by not going all out in the first part of the fight. Her dad had managed to last through a few of Hit's onslaughts as a Super Saiyan Blue; how would they be taken by Goku in his regular form?

"You must be pretty young and naïve to reveal your strategy so easily," Hit mused.

"I'm much older than I look," Goku responded confidently.

"I am over a thousand years old," Hit countered.

"Geez you're a lot older than I am!" Goku spluttered.

' _I realise we're not exactly comparable in terms of aging but he looks pretty young for someone who is over a thousand years old!'_ Corset was dumbfounded.

"Right, then let's start!" Goku returned to his stance. He moved, dashed towards Hit ready to throw his fist forward. Hit knocked Goku back with a kick to the stomach, forcing the Saiyan back on his heels. Goku launched himself again, this time darting around the ring in numerous directions before going in for the strike. Again Hit caught him by surprise, elbowing him in the face. Several more times Goku shifted around the arena looking for an opening, only for Hit to catch him by surprise and floor him. But with each hit, Goku recovered quickly to attack once more.

"It's useless how many times you try," Hit muttered. "No matter how strong you are, if you continue to be hit on your vital parts, you will die. Surrender."

Goku chuckled, "I won't surrender because I got a hint about how to counter your attacks."

Hit observed the smiling fighter. "… Are you bluffing?"

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Goku responded, putting up his guard once more.

' _Has he already figured out a way to do it?'_ Corset wasn't so sure but then again, nothing about Goku surprised her any more. Maybe he had already worked something out.

"Bring it," Hit goaded. Goku charged again, launching out a fist –

Corset gasped loudly.

Hit's attack had struck Goku's lower arm, shielding his face.

The taller Saiyan grinned. "Yeah! See, I blocked it!" He spun, for a moment their movements were too fast to follow. Corset blinked in disbelief. Goku was thrilled, landing on his feet once again. "See? I scratched your face!"

There was a small but noticeable scratch on Hit's right cheek. Again Goku went in for the strike, blocking Hit's attack and landing his own somehow. Hit skidded back a few feet across the ring.

"How is he doing that?" Krillin spluttered. "Can any of you guys see it?"

"Nope," Corset shook her head.

"Your Time-Leap takes you a tenth of a second, right?" Goku asked. "All I have to do is predict where you'll be in that space of time."

Hit's face darkened, becoming unreadable. He wiped the spot Goku'd struck him on, his stance and air changing slightly.

"You're going to take me seriously now," Goku lowered his stance, "In that case…" With a roar, he revved up his ki.

' _That Hit guy must be pretty predictable if Goku's able to keep up with him…'_ Corset frowned. _'I'm not sure how insulted Dad's gonna be about this… or how badly that's just backfired on Goku. Why did he tell him that's what he's doing?'_

With a flash of light, Goku had transformed into his Super Saiyan Blue form, Hit seemingly indifferent to this. If anything, he was more focused on Goku's strategy. "Why did you tell me this? Now all I have to do is move in a more unpredictable way."

"Moving like that's a lot harder than it sounds," Goku retorted, stretching the muscles in his shoulders. "It's hard to fight your natural reaction to things. I wonder if you can keep up with my speed now?" And with that, he was on the move. In an instant he was in the midst of a fierce barrage of punches, all of which Hit was able to parry.

"That guy's amazing," Krillin shivered. "He's able to go toe-to-toe with Goku, even in his Super Saiyan whatsit form."

A terrific thunderclap made the group jolt out of their skin as Hit clasped onto Goku's punch, both fighter's arm shaking under the pressure. A confused look crossed through Goku's eyes. "What's wrong? You're not choosing to use the Time Leap technique?" He lashed out, slamming his fist into Hit's cheek, causing Corset's jaw to drop.

Three more hits sent the mysterious fighter from Universe Six shooting back on his heels across the tiles. There was another fresh bruise on his face from where Goku's attacks had struck.

"He's fast," Master Roshi muttered half aware he was speaking out loud.

"Go, Dad!" Goten cheered, rising off his feet and punching his fists in the air.

"He might actually do this," Trunks smiled, standing up next to his friend. "That Hit guy can't even land a… hit… Man that's an unfortunate name. It's not so cool now."

"Come on, Goku!" Bulma egged him on. "Beat that show-off!"

The two were having a stand-off, staring the other down, waiting for the right moment. Hit's stance changed to the one he'd used previously, the one he'd taken when performing the Time Leap technique. Corset gulped and softly bit her tongue in anticipation, waiting for him to launch his move. There, Hit was moving forward. She tried to spot the moment the technique was executed but failed miserably, stunned to see him being punched away by Goku, who then launched a boot into the assassin's stomach.

Hit was down.


	23. 23 - Goku's New Technique

**Chapter 23 – Goku's New Technique**

"Attaboy, Goku!" Chichi cried loudly through cupped hands. Hit had been knocked back onto the ground by a surprise kick from his foe, Goku apparently able to deal with the Time Leap technique Hit was said to be using. It was going to take more than Corset was currently capable of to see the instant Hit used the move. Now the assassin was rising to his feet, looking ruffled and bothered by the failure of his technique against this Saiyan.

"Gonna give up yet?" Goku asked, confident with his abilities. Something about Hit's reaction seemed to alarm the Saiyan. "Hey, are you alright? What's wrong?"

Hit answered with a tantrum, screaming and letting his ki rush through his system. The force tore some of the looser fragments of the ground below and forced an invisible shockwave to buffer the crowds. Corset blinked a couple of times in confusion. Something seemed off about this… and before she had time to ponder over it for too much more, Hit's aura vanished. _'What's he doing?'_

He stood, ready for battle once more. Unfortunately, Goku took a little while longer to get ready! "That startled me! You really scream loud when you power up!"

The two were at it once more, only this time it was Hit who'd engaged Goku in hand-to-hand combat. The two darted across the arena ring with relative ease, both focused heavily on the other. Neither were able to aim a successful strike, both countering and pushing the other to draw out more power. It was hard to gauge purely on power as Corset couldn't detect Goku's life force, she could only assume that because they were moving at the same speeds, they were evenly matched. What was baffling was how Hit's ki didn't seem to have risen at all…

A flash of purple shot through Goku's back at a critical moment, halting the Saiyan's attack.

"Did he power up?" Krillin asked no one in particular. "I didn't detect anything… and yet."

Goku collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen. He didn't seem to be able to rise with ease.

"Is everything alright?" The referee asked, getting no response. "… Do you wish to continue?"

"What happened?" Bulma asked incredulously. "Come on, Goku!"

"Is he winded or something?" Soba raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "A knock to the solar plexus would do that. Did you see what happened?"

"Of course I didn't – not in enough detail anyway," Corset shook her head, just as confused as the rest. She wanted to know what'd just happened. She hadn't detected any increase – or decrease – in Hit's energy when he flared his aura… so what had happened? Was it a lucky hit to a pressure point, or was something else going on? As if detecting the confusion and frustration, her stomach started to take a pounding from her unborn baby. "Would you behave yourself in there? Don't make me come in after you!" Corset snapped, glaring venom at her stomach as if reasoning with it would stop the kicking.

"Right, the winner…" The announcer was waiting no longer.

"Wait!" Goku snapped through gritted teeth, cutting the referee off mid-sentence. Slowly he forced himself to rise, stuttering and stalling along the way. Hit watched as his foe struggled.

"For you Saiyans, you power up through transforming. There is only one way for me to become stronger…" he explained.

"Improvement!" Piccolo's horrified tones reached her ears. His next sentence went unheard, which irritated her further… but what exactly did he mean? _'He improved? Technically, doesn't everyone improve after a fight? People learn their opponent's fighting styles the longer a battle wages on… This sounds stupid!'_ Still, the look on Piccolo's face told her he felt this was a bad omen for their universe's side. Perhaps things would become clearer as the battle continued because right now, she wasn't convinced.

Goku fell to one knee as Hit continued. "I never thought of improving, not once… because I didn't have to. Then I met you. By watching you, I thought that perhaps I could get better than what I already am. By doing this, I have just managed to increase the limit of the Time Skip to zero point two seconds…"

' _What kind of bull-'_ Corset was cut off as one kick forced her to bite her tongue accidentally!

"How can he just suddenly be able to do that?" Soba asked, baffled. "That's ridiculous! How do you suddenly learn to do something like that?"

"Welcome to our world," Krillin answered dryly. "Here you'll find yourself surrounded by ridiculous, insane people with talents that don't make much sense… not to mention they don't follow the rules of fairness."

"Seriously, the guy just suddenly knows how to double that time technique? Just like that? That's insane!" Soba was having none of it. "And now he wants to mention he never even bothered to try this before? What a joke!"

"Now, Hit!" Champa was suddenly very vocal. "Deliver the final blow! What are you waiting for? Do it now!"

Goku was once more trying to get back up, Hit's focus intently upon him. He didn't move, despite his universe's Hakaishin egging him on. "… Hurry up and stand." The order seemed to rev Goku up and the Saiyan managed to get back up, albeit hunched over. He was still trying to catch his breath back, muttering something inaudible. "I was able to improve, thanks to you," came Hit's response to whatever was said. "I'm paying my debt."

"Hit!" Champa screeched. "Don't ignore me!"

Goku took a swift leap back to increase the distance between them. Hit's stance had changed once again, raising both hands so they were level with his face. Annoyingly, a smile had crept up on Goku's face.

"How can he be smiling at a time like this?" Krillin chuckled. "Goku must have some crazy idea in his head."

' _Maybe… or it's the prospect of getting to fight someone as strong as this guy…'_ Corset frowned.

"You're looking at this the wrong way," Hit announced. "You're looking to take a few of my attacks before you get used to predicting my moves again. My moves have increased by zero point two seconds more…"

Goku collapsed to the ground.

"… and are now zero point five times faster. I am improving all the time." Hit finished.

'… _What the hell just happened? This is so annoying!´_ Corset stared dumbfounded down at the arena, horrified to see Goku's battered body laying upon the tiles, twitching. _'He's managed to get so much faster… no, it's not speed. He's just managed to hold time still for half a second. He's manipulating time, not actually getting faster. What a friggin' cheater!'_

"Do something!" Bulma snapped at Jaco. "Come on, it's against Galactic Law to do that! Get him disqualified!"

"Like we said, we don't want to die," Jaco responded, earning a smack between the eyes from a furious Bulma.

"Improving and surpassing his opponent is like what Goku does in battle…" Krillin gulped. "What can he do against an opponent who does the same thing back to him?"

"Goku's gonna have to pull something new out of his sleeve if he wants to win this fight," Master Roshi grimly muttered.

"Listen to you all!"Bulma turned her attention away from Jaco. "He's not going to be beaten so easily!"

"Mama, he's been beaten and bested before," Corset interrupted. "… He'll find a way to better Hit… but it might not be today."

"Dad's still not getting up," Goten's eyes were firmly fixed on his father. "… Uh oh. The referee guy is going towards him!"

Indeed the announcer was making his way cautiously over.

"What should I do?" Hit was asking him. "Killing is against the rules… and it seems that Son Goku is in no condition to surrender the match."

' _Come on… I know it's a big ask but come on, Goku,'_ Corset bit her lip. _'Stand up.'_

He was up on his feet. The move had not only astounded his friends and family but had also left Hit and the referee speechless. There was something in his eyes, something that seemed to show the fiery will he had, something other than pure stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat. Goku knew when he was beaten, he knew when to throw in the towel. She'd seen it happen before, when Goku had decided to hand the battle against Cell over to Gohan. That look had made it clear that day that he was passing the reigns over. Today, that look was absent. He wasn't ready to give up or pass the baton onto the next fighter.

Something was coming. Something incredible had to be in his head for him to continue this fight.

"Not yet…" He shook his head gently, "I'm not done yet."

Hit glared at him. "Are you that obsessed with winning?"

"That's not it," Goku responded. "It'd be unfair to you if it ends like this… Please don't think I was being stingy in trying to hide this."

"Here it is," Master Roshi spoke. "Whatever he's got planned, he's doing it now."

"It's not perfect," Goku continued, "I was thinking of improving it over time so I could use it against Birus one day."

' _Please don't be some kind of alteration to the Kamehameha,'_ Corset thought dryly to herself.

Goku's stance altered as he revved up his ki, the blue aura surrounding his body. The tiles at their feet instantly responded, slowly breaking into tiny fragments and rising up into the air. "… It's an incomplete technique. It's got a ten percent chance of succeeding… and if it doesn't, it'll mess my body up."

"… That sounds familiar…" Krillin's jaw opened slightly.

"Is he powering up?" Yamcha asked, the ground below them starting to tremble.

"Hard to tell," Tenshinhan responded. "He's a Super Saiyan Blue and I can't detect his ki."

Goku seemed to be going through the process of powering up, the conditions and his appearance fitting the criteria their group seemed to have set themselves.

"Hit, stop him!" Champa was shouting. "Don't let him do whatever it is he's gonna do!"

"If you improve then I will improve, too," Hit warned. "I wonder how long we can both keep on going like this."

"Oy! Stop ignoring me!" Champa's orders fell on deaf ears as Hit stood his ground, waiting patiently for his opponent to finish whatever it was he was doing.

"Kaio-Ken!" Goku roared. His aura was suddenly split into two levels; his layer of blue still surrounding his body. This was now eclipsed by an even larger aura in red, rising high above him. As was known with the Kaio-Ken, Goku's muscle mass had increased slightly, mimicking the conditions of his original usage of the technique from two decades ago.

'… _Is this gonna be much better?'_ Corset wasn't sure. She'd assumed the Kaio-Ken had become obsolete during their years of battle and improvement. She'd have to see it in action.

"It worked," Goku seemed pleased with himself. "This is the power of Super Saiyan Blue mixed with the Kaio-Ken. If I'd made a mistake doing this, I might have died."

"It is the Kaio-Ken!" Krillin gasped. "Yeah… back when we were fighting the Saiyans, Goku's body got wrecked relying on this technique! Is he really going to be alright by the end of this?"

"Only one way to find out," Tenshinhan responded.

"You guys are talking about this as if you've seen it before…" Videl wasn't following.

"Goku's making use of an older technique he picked up when Gohan and Corset were little kids," Krillin explained. "If he uses the regular Kaio-Ken, it doubles his reflexes, power and fighting abilities. You can multiply the effects of the Kaio-Ken, say to make it ten times more powerful. There's a limit to what the body can handle though. It's been years since I've seen Goku use this technique."

"You remember this?" Soba asked.

"Barely," Corset responded. "I remember it exists but I don't remember much of seeing Goku use it. He kinda stopped once he got to Super Saiyan, from what I remember."

"He's on the move!" Yamcha cried.

Indeed Goku was… apparently somewhere. Even Hit seemed to be having trouble locating him. In a flash, Goku was stood before him, seemingly indifferent to the rapid speed he must have been moving at. Her eyes shifted momentarily, catching the furious look on her father's face. _'This must be bringing back some bad memories...'_ Goku'd first used the Kaio-Ken against her dad and Nappa when they'd first come to Earth.

"The mixture of these two forms is perfect," Goku continued. "Super Saiyan Blue is a combination of strength and a calm mind, with proper ki control."

"… What?" Trunks cocked his head.

"Kaio-Ken used to do a number on Goku's body," Krillin explained. "It takes a lot of stamina to use the Kaio-Ken – much like how I imagine Super Saiyan puts a strain on your bodies."

"Until we master it," Corset confirmed. "… So he's trying to say that he can now use this move because of what Super Saiyan Blue does? I guess that makes sense."

"Barely," Soba grunted.

The shuddering of the ground grew more violent as Goku continued to power up, causing more disruption to the tiles below and forcing the atmosphere to charge and twist. The wind picked up as electricity danced across the arena, startling several of the crowds inhabitants. "Times Ten!" Goku hollered through the confusion, his ki skyrocketing to unimaginable heights – not that Corset could detect it. However, she could feel the energy flowing through the air and had to admit, this was looking promising.

The two launched at one another. Goku landed a single strike into Hit's stomach. "It's useless! The level I'm at now is far ahead of your Time Leap technique!"

She'd take his word for it. Unable to follow their movements or sense their energies (ok, she could feel Hit's power but not Goku's), Corset focussed her attention on everyone else's reactions to the fight happening before their eyes. Unless Hit had something major up his sleeve, Goku was going to claim victory for their universe and their planet would remain in Birus' jurisdiction. The blinding blue of a familiar move caught her eye for a brief moment, before blinding her. Corset brought her hands protectively over her eyes. _'Dammit Goku!'_

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku's scream was barely audible over the roar of his attack, the bright blue beam heading straight for his opponent.

Everything around them erupted.

* * *

Something was touching her. It was making her uncomfortable so she swatted it away. Annoyingly it came back, irritating her further. She muttered as loudly as she could, "Get off." Or at least she thought she had spoken loudly. Apparently it wasn't getting the message as it continued to irritate her. "I said get off!"

"Mmf…" it responded, prodding her more frantically than before.

Suddenly her whole body was dragged across something, alerting her to danger. Corset's eyes shot open and she clumsily swung out.

"Hey!" Trunks' voice shouted out. "Stop swinging, you're crushing Soba you fat lump!"

A moment of calm realisation came over Corset. Then her brother's insult clicked in her mind's attention. The next swipe missed but by now, Corset was up on her feet, pushing herself to fly as best she could after her rude brother. "Excuse me? I'll break your limbs one-by-one if you say that to me one more time!"

"What? It's the only way I could think of to get you off your weakling boyfriend!" Trunks protested, dodging his pregnant sister's fist again and growing rather cocky over his speed. "Geez that really makes your punches lousy, sis. You should take it easy."

"When I have this baby and my body stops playing host, I will remind you just how lax and out-of-shape you are!" Corset spat back.

"Will you two shut up?" Bulma snapped, cutting across and ending their spat. "I did not bring you both up to be so rude to one another – regardless of what your father says!"

"Although I appreciate being able to breathe again," Soba was rising back onto his feet. "… We're lucky those helper people put up barriers to protect us, from what Krillin was saying. Goku's an idiot, destroying the bubble keeping the atmosphere in!"

That was a point. What'd happened since that terrific explosion? Corset glanced back towards the arena, spotting Goku and Hit hovering above the centre of the ring. Across the stadium, Champa was egging Hit on once more, "You don't need to do anything! His Kaio-ken will wear off soon; keep your distance!"

' _So he's figured that out… or did Goku let that slip?'_ Corset couldn't work it out herself but Champa's knowledge of the Kaio-Ken technique was alarmingly harmful to their prospects. She watched as surprisingly, Cabba rose from his seat and started talking… no, he was confronting Champa? He was braver than she was, that was for sure. Then again, Corset had two lives to consider – and one of these lives was relying on the other to keep on existing! Unsurprisingly, Champa rose up against Cabba and even started to charge up an energy ball before the Saiyan, who wearily stepped back. "This fight is between me and Birus – you guys are just pawns!"

Apparently Goku and Hit heard this, their attention focusing on Champa, effectively halting the match. Something about this knocked Champa back, it was as if some invisible force had stuck him senseless. Had he really gone and said that so loudly in front of two impeccable, amazing fighters? Corset understood the pressure every competitor felt but could Universe Six really stand to represent a Hakaishin who saw them as mere tools to defeat their opponents with? Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't so horrifying that Champa felt this way about them all, seeing Birus as his only rival and apparent equal… but still, he ought to watch what he says, she concluded. They may be pawns now but with the way things were going…

Their auras began to shimmer once more, the ground below them starting to shudder under the pressure. Both seemed to be powering up. Both dashed.

Goku fell.

Hit had unleashed the Time Leap once more.

Goku's aura vanished, the Saiyan slowly fell towards the ring.


	24. 24 - The End of the Tournament

**Chapter 24 – The End of the Tournament**

Goku was slowly falling towards the ring below, his body having being pummelled once more, undoubtedly through Hit's Time Leap technique. The falling feeling in the pit of her chest was horrifying; there seemed to be no way Goku was going to come back from this one. How was he meant to stand up to a move which effectively stopped him for half a second, allowing Hit to land however many punches and kicks he could before all the damage hit Goku instantaneously? How was he meant to fight that?

The Saiyan's body tensed, stopping him in his fall to the bewilderment of the others.

Hit seemed so stunned, Goku landed a punch clean between his eyes! The representative of Universe Six shot uncontrollably backwards, colliding with the gigantic statue of his representative Hakaishin and engulfing him in a large dust cloud. As the disturbed dust slowly drifted away, Hit was revealed to be stuck within the contents of the statue. It didn't take much effort for him to break free but it did cost him his ability to stay in the air as he descended, landing hard on the tiles.

The struggle felt it took an eternity to watch, with Hit continuously trying to rise back to his feet, having fallen onto one knee.

It was doubly painful when Goku hollered out, yielding to the pain the Kaio-Ken was causing his body. He too descended and collapsed onto his knees.

"They're both exhausted," Chichi frowned. "Come on, Goku."

"Can he get back up from that?" Bulma asked.

"We'll have to wait and see," Came Master Roshi's response, although he wasn't entirely convinced himself.

Goku was the first to get back onto his feet, albeit with a low rumble coming from his throat. It must have been taking everything he had to stand so strong, not wavering or allowing his muscles to buckle underneath, Corset thought. The move seemed to be a challenge sent to Hit, who responded. Both fighters were breathing heavily… and then Goku turned towards the sides, back to where his fellow fighters were. "Birus, can you do me a favour? Could you get rid of all the tournament rules?"

' _What the… Why? Oh I know why but still, why?'_ Corset slapped her face in annoyance.

"Seriously, he's an idiot," Soba huffed dryly. "Is he asking for Hit to kill him?"

"Don't you dare confine my husband to losing!" Chichi spat, turning on the chef. "Goku is not going to lose this! He just can't!"

"He's not got a record that suggests invincibility," Soba retorted. "How he's managed to win so many of his battles, I'll never know."

"Sheer determination and insane power seems to work well for him," Krillin mused. His comment went ignored by both Chichi and Soba, who were still parrying verbal shots.

"If I have this baby because of your bickering, I am not going to be pleased," Corset grumbled; her comment also being ignored.

"Because of the rules, Hit's not able to fight at full strength," Goku was explaining to his comrades across the ring. "If he didn't have to hold back, that last move might have finished me off."

"… Aren't you afraid of death?" Hit asked, staring at his foe with intent.

"You're not gonna be able to deal any more strikes against me again," came Goku's response.

' _Someone's awfully cocky for a guy who was struggling to stand…'_ Corset's brow furrowed across the top of her nose. _'What's he doing?'_

"That sounds brilliant!" Champa was hovering above the ring, clapping his hands gleefully. "Such great sportsmanship! Remove the rules and let them kill one another!"

"Hold on!" Birus was quick to join his brother. "I disagree – there will be no changes to the rules of the tournament!"

"But it's your fighter who's asking!" Champa responded.

"Like hell I'm letting this slide! You're happy to grant my fighter this wish because it'll gain you an advantage!" Birus snapped.

"And you want to keep the rules that give you an advantage!" Champa growled back.

The two Hakaishin continued to quarrel over this point for some time, Corset's attention being grabbed back as her back started to ache. Ignoring injuries from past battles was one thing but having to deal with random pains was worse in some ways. At least she had a decent-enough reason for battle aches; being pregnant just pain sucked right now… not that her mind was helping. It was irritating how often her head liked to remind her of it… but it would be over soon.

"Is he nuts?" Krillin hollered loudly. "Goku just… he just…!"

Goku had jumped off the edge of the ring. His feet were on terra firma, walking away from the stage his opponent now seemed stuck on. The referee barely had the competency to muster up the desire to ask him what he was doing. "W-Wait!"

"If you're outside the ring, it's out-of-bounds, right?" Goku asked, turning back to face the official.

The referee nodded, raising his hand cautiously up into the air. C-Contestant Hit is the winner!"

The surprise still hadn't set in yet with regards to Goku's deliberate loss. Chichi fell over backwards, alarming Goten. "M-Mother!"

"He gave up?" Bulma spluttered. "Just like that?"

The Kaio-Ken was beginning to take another assault on the Saiyan's body, reducing him to collapsing back onto the floor. Piccolo was quickly there, alongside the referee and surprisingly, by Hit as well. All three surrounded the Saiyan whilst up in the air above the ring, the two Hakaishin had been stunned into silence and bewilderment. Piccolo raised Goku into his arms and lifted him off the ground, back towards where the other contestants of their universe were sat. Hit wandered back to take his place upon the ring. Corset wondered what was passing through the assassin's mind as he took in what'd just happened. Goku was well-known for starting changes in those he crossed paths with. Hit had been indifferent and static in his approach and had only started to consider improvement through the battle he'd just had, from the sounds of things. It wouldn't surprise her if he turned around and decided to forfeit or quit so he could fight Goku for real some other time. No doubt Goku had felt this way and had felt the rules implied on them in this tournament were too limiting to make this battle truly worth it. He couldn't fight his foe at full strength because the rules disallowed it… so what was the point of their fight, in his eyes? She thought perhaps now she was starting to get the hang of understanding how he – and her father – thought. In particular, Goku was one to be pleased to find a foe more powerful than he and fight them to the best of their abilities.

"Thank you for waiting!" The referee was back to his chirpy self. "The last contestant of Universe Seven is Monaka! This will incidentally be the last match of the tournament."

The tiny alien was up. Finally they would begin to learn the extent of this guy's capabilities.

Was he shaking?

"Come down to the ring, Contestant Monaka," The referee repeated his request in a more direct way.

"What's wrong?" Videl asked. "Why is he just standing there?"

"… Who knows," Mr Satan answered, clueless.

Corset glanced further towards him, her eyes narrowing in concentration. He was shaking. Why was he shaking? Fear? Adrenaline? Was that his race's way of powering up or something? It could be a million and one reasons when it came to alien behaviour and just because it was a sign of fear or excitement in Earthlings, didn't mean that translated across different alien species. Still, the short, slim alien had not moved an inch from his position.

"Do your best, Monaka!" Goku cheered from his seat, one of his muscles in his shoulder cramping up. "We're counting on you."

The alien seemed to muster some movement. He leapt up into the air… and somersaulted forward… and landed with a thud upon the stage, head-first.

"Fail," Soba snorted with amusement. "D'you think he meant to do that on purpose? … What?" He'd seen the look on her face. "You're concentrating hard."

Corset didn't answer. A thought had dawned on her – and it hadn't been the first time this thought had entered her mind. Everything about his behaviour and his life force, no matter how much she tried to fight the logic off with unpredictable and lack of alien knowledge, suggested that this guy was not all he was made out to be. It was either that or he was the most cunning, brilliant fighter she'd ever seen. Right now she was convinced that this creature of a distant world was no more a fighter than her own mother.

Monaka had plucked himself from the tiles and slowly approached Hit, bowing very low upon his arrival. He stayed there for quite a while, a lot longer than seemed necessary for an opening bow.

"Hit, we're counting on you to finish this!" Champa roared, firing off an energy blast to strike the gong. The sound resonated across the ring for the last time, officially starting the battle. Upon its note, Monaka wailed out some kind of sound (it wasn't as threatening or intimidating as it possibly was meant to be), running forward and getting a punch ready. The fist stuck his foe in the leg.

' _Oh no…'_ It had been confirmed for her. This guy was a fraud. Was he a fraud who'd managed to deceive Birus… or was Birus the true culprit in all of this? Monaka really was on par with her own mother in regards to physical strength and it was horrifying to think the fate of their planet's residency rested on his weak shoulders. Naturally the strike hadn't bothered Hit in the least, the assassin merely continued to look down literally on his opponent. Monaka was a third his size.

Hit hollered out and was suddenly forced back, striking the wall of the barrier and collapsing to the soil across the edge of the ring.

"O-Out-of-bounds!" Trunks gasped. "He's out-of-bounds!"

"We won!" Goten cheered, jumping up and down on the spot.

' _What the hell just happened?'_ Corset's eyes were as wide as could possibly be. _'How… No, why did Hit let him win? The guy didn't stand a chance!'_ Surely Champa would have something to say about this deliberate loss – that's all she could call it. There had been no damage dealt by Monaka's weak punch and it was blaringly obvious to her that the assassin had chosen to lose. Had Goku's bizarre power struck again?

"That Monaka-guy must be really strong to take on someone Goku couldn't defeat!" Mr Satan roared with surprise.

"You have no idea…" Krillin grumbled quietly. Of all the people to suggest such a ridiculous thing, it would be Mr Satan.

"Contestant Hit is out-of-bounds – Contestant Monaka has won it for Universe Seven!" The referee declared.

"Everyone here was so strong," Jaco's friend mused. "I need people like those guys on the Galactic Patrol."

"No, the Galactic Patrol would fall apart before any peace could be restored," Jaco shook his head forcefully.

Naturally everyone amongst their team was pleased with the outcome. Corset was far more intrigued by how Champa was going to react to this loss, hoping in a small part of her mind that Birus would protect his universe's inhabitants should things get nasty. Hit had gotten back onto his feet and had returned to his team's area. Champa was standing ready for him, not looking in the slightest pleased with how things had turned out. Corset found herself feeling sorry for Hit, despite how terrifying a fighter he truly was. Champa's patience seemed to be at an end, an energy wave forming in the palm of his hand. _'He's going to kill him!'_ She rose to her feet, unsure of what to do. Either she acted in some way and risked getting herself killed or she stood and let things pass. She wasn't comfortable either way. Surely someone who wasn't harbouring an extra life ought to do it? What kind of cowardly excuse was that? No, it wasn't cowardly, it was being responsible… right?

The others of Universe Six seemed to be rallying with Hit but none of them would be able to withstand Champa's power for long. Gods of Destruction were deadly foes and there was little doubt that Champa wasn't as every bit dangerous as Birus in a bad mood.

"It's no longer your concern, Son Goku," Birus' voice carried across the ring. "Your time to make a difference has passed."

"That's right," Champa's voice was much louder now. "At the end of the day, it is us who call the shots. You guys quietly obey and follow them. You have all bought shame onto me… and for that, I cannot let any of you return home."

"… If you want to change the rules," Birus added, eyes closed, "then you are welcome to fight a God of Destruction…"

"Champa."

"Use whatever techniques you'd like," Champa declared. "I'll destroy all of you! I'll make you realise just how terrifying a Hakaishin is!"

"Please listen to me and look," Vados cut across him, pointing down to the ring. There in the centre of it stood… three random people Corset'd never seen before in her life. Two of the three looked identical, tall and slender. The third was short and stumpy with a large, oval head. He – or she… or it – was a lot shorter than the other two, who flanked them on either side. Their presence seemed to have greatly disturbed the two Hakaishin – as well as both universe's Kaioshin representatives. They must have been important.

"The- The King of Everything!" Champa squawked, his fury literally evaporating quicker than his energy waves.

'… _That's a job?'_ Corset raised an eyebrow. _'Just how many prestigious jobs are there in the entirety of the universes?'_

"How can you be the king of everything?" Soba mirrored her confusion. "This is just ridiculous! How do you keep on meeting these people?"

The appearance of this trio had stopped Champa in his tracks, his energy attacks having vanished from his palms. Perhaps the competitors of Universe Six would be left unscathed due to this recent turn of events. Both Hakaishins and their assistants had descended down from their seating areas to join this tiny individual. Even the Kaioshins of both universes joined them, bowing down as low to the ground as possible. Both Vados and Whis seemed to be much calmer than those around them, happily addressing the strange alien. Catching their conversation felt intrusive but Corset did hear the little guy (who really must have been an infant, judging by the sound of his voice) mention that he'd enjoyed what he'd witnessed today and had come up with a new idea.

"…I thought maybe we should do this one more time," He'd suggested. "With contestants gathered from each of the Universes."

Naturally Goku was there, eager to encourage this new development. "That would be interesting! I'll do it!"

' _Please don't hold it now, please don't hold it now!'_ Corset took a large gulp, her heart pounding in her ribs. She wanted to join in, she didn't want to miss out on this one! Even if she wasn't as powerful as her father and Goku, the way this tournament had panned out would have been much different had she been a competitor, she just knew it.

The two aides stood either side of the King of Everything had slipped into the ground like ghosts, suddenly appearing before the taller Saiyan. On closer inspection, they looked rather intimidating with small eyes and the rest of their face masked by their large collars.

"You can't speak to the King of Everything so casually!" Birus snapped.

"It's ok," The little alien stepped forward, his aides effortlessly sliding aside allowing him to access the Saiyan in conversation. Their talk was quiet and Goku seemed to have stepped over several boundaries, particularly when he'd extended his hand offer of a handshake. Fortunately nothing gory happened to him as the little king returned the favour. "You're an interesting guy. I'm gonna go home now."

And with a flash, he was gone.

"I really don't get this," Soba was still pondering over his thoughts. "I mean, how can you actually be the king of literally everything? That's just idiotic. It makes him sound like such an infant."

"You should be careful," Corset smirked, "He could quite easily come back and kill you… and if he doesn't, I'm sure those other two guys will."

"What, because I questioned the legitimacy of his apparent name?" Soba raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "That would just prove my point over how infantile this all is. If you can't handle being insulted in some way then maybe you shouldn't be in the limelight."

"Tell that to those two," Corset pointed down discreetly towards the two Hakaishin. "Although their job is to destroy things so they would be doing their jobs…"

"This is all just idiotic," Soba retorted. "Why would you even need someone whose job it is to go around destroying and killing? Why can't people just be left to live their lives without fear of being visited by these guys? It's just asinine."

"If the Omni King wished for it, he could wipe out all twelve universes in an instant!" Birus was shouting at Goku.

' _I'm assuming Omni King is the King of Everything…?'_ Corset burrowed her brows, not that it really mattered in the end.

"He didn't seem like a bad guy so I doubt he would have wished for such a thing," Goku calmly replied, having the audacity to grin.

"Somehow, all of my excitement for winning this tournament has faded…" Birus grumbled.

"Good! Let's hold this tournament the Omni King wishes for as the real thing! This tournament was just a warm-up!" Champa declared. "That way, I can't be frustrated that I lost!"

"In any case, a promise is a promise," Birus reminded his brother.

"You don't have to tell me that!" Champa snapped. "I'll give you the Super Dragonballs – but I doubt you can find the last one easily!"


	25. 25 - The Super Dragonballs

**Chapter 25 – The Super Dragonballs**

So they really were going to be able to use the Super Dragonballs. It was going to be an interesting occasion, seeing what the god of these set of Dragonballs looked like in comparison to Shenron and Porunga. What limitations would he have? What kind of wishes and how many wishes would he be able to grant?

Maybe she could wish for the tournament to be held when she wasn't pregnant so she could fight in the damn thing!

"I doubt you'll find the last one easily!" Champa snapped in spite. "Let's go!" And with that, he turned and marched back towards his combatants, Vados hot on his heels. "You guys had better show up for the next tournament or Omni King will be mad!"

So it seemed Universe Six's combatants would live to see another day. Corset could appreciate how close to death they'd just come due to the outcome of this tournament and was glad she wasn't going to have to be a witness to anything horrific. The Saiyan of the group had now approached her father and the two seemed to have a small conversation, whilst Goku had approached Hit. Nothing much other than Buu waking up happened within the next couple of minutes and Corset was now realising how draining being a member of the audience was.

"Is something wrong?" Videl caught her attention, looking concerned. "You look tired."

"I feel tired," Corset nodded in confirmation. "If anything, I could do with taking a nap."

"You have to stay awake," Bulma interrupted, a peculiar smile on her face. "Now we can see just how well my new and improved radar works!" Corset wasn't sure when her mother had managed to pull out the Dragonball radar from wherever she'd been stashing it. "Let's see…" Pressing the buttons either side of the handles, the screen lit up.

"It doesn't work."

Bulma shrieked in shock as Birus stood towering over her. Quickly she got to her feet and took a couple of steps back, "Y-You shouldn't sneek up on people like that!"

"Well?" Birus ignored her. "Where is this final Dragonball?"

"I-It's n-not on the screen yet," Bulma answered warily. "… You're not to use the Dragonballs to wish for anything horrible! If you do, I'll complain to the Omni King!"

"… Fine," Birus conceded. Apparently her mother had just found the weakness of these Hakaishin – and possibly every other god of the universes. Just how amazing was this Omni King really supposed to be?

Bulma continued to fiddle with the buttons, expanding and manoeuvring the device until at last, she gave in. "It's no good. Even if I expand the range, we can only detect the six balls already here. We really will have to go to the centre of the universe to get a better idea."

"Where exactly is the centre of the universe supposed to be?" Krillin frowned. "I want to go home and get some rest."

"Hold on…" Eighteen peered closer at the radar screen. "… Isn't it showing that there are already seven balls here?"

Bulma zoomed in on her screen again, far enough so that all the individual Dragonballs were clear on the screen. Counting them, it turned out that there were seven instead of six… So, was the radar broken or was the seventh Dragonball…

"We're standing on it, aren't we?" Soba dryly muttered.

"But the ground doesn't look anything like the surface of a Dragonball," Videl pointed out. "Then again, it's the only other thing that's close enough to be on the map now… unless it's below the planet?"

"We'd have seen it when we came in, surely?" Krillin dismissed this idea.

"Excuse me," Monaka interrupted, "but on my home planet. I look a lot at maps of the universe. You would be better to see this in 3D."

"That may not be a bad suggestion," Bulma nodded in agreement. "Whis, could we borrow your cube?"

* * *

Whis took the group off the planet in the safety of his cube. They travelled a safe distance from the planet before halting and watching. Corset was struggling to stay awake at this point but even in her state, she could see the planet seemed a little distorted in her eyes. Cracks were beginning to form upon its crust, burning a bright, fiery colour. If anything it looked like the planet's core had given in and was about to self-destruct.

"Watch," Whis instructed.

The glow from the planet intensified quickly, expelling the outer crust and forcing it out into space. As the brightness dimmed down, there sat the seventh Dragonball, surrounded by the other six.

"I was right!" Soba grinned cockily.

"But why does the Dragonball suddenly look like one?" Bulma asked. "It was solid rock the whole time we were there."

"It could be that a wish was made on these Super Dragonballs a long time ago," Piccolo explained, "this scattered the balls across the two universes. They probably collided with asteroids and other planets along the way, catching debris as they struck… of course, it's just a theory."

"It's very neat for debris," Krillin mused. "It'd be impressive that the whole ball managed to get covered to the point it looks like an ordinary planet!"

"Do you have any better ideas?" Piccolo growled, making krillin flinch.

"So how do we summon the God of Dragons?" Goku asked. "We have all seven balls but it's no good if we don't know the password."

"Promise me one more time that you won't wish for anything horrible," Bulma glared towards Birus.

"Stop nagging me or I'll change my mind!" Birus grumbled.

"… You'd have to say in the language of the gods: Come forth Shenron – or whatever it's name is – and grant my wish!" Bulma explained. "Who knows if it'll respond to it…"

"Whis!" Birus barked up towards the top of the cube, where Whis stood on the exterior. "I'll shout the words up and you say them in the language of the gods!"

"Yes, Birus," Whis agreed. Birus passed the message on in the language required, which Whis repeated in the direction of the Dragonballs.

"… Nothing's happening," Goku frowned.

"Your words didn't help," Birus glared towards Bulma. "You'd better start telling me the truth, or -" He was cut off as the stars within each Dragonball started to illuminate a brighter red. Everyone's eyes now settled on the giant balls as they slowly started to shift and rotate, settling themselves into some kind of pattern. A few sparks of electricity connected them all before the group started to shimmer brighter and brighter, exploding with a ferociously blinding light, drowning out everything else from sight. Corset cried out as her eyes suffered, burning from the sheer brightness. It took a few seconds before she started to recover and a few more before she dared to open her eyes.

Something golden shrouded their view. Corset couldn't work out what it was for a few moments until a large red eye emerged. The worlds around them were dwarfed by its size, whatever it was. A terrifying roar came from deep with its body, the creature shifting and breaking free of the shield surrounding in. In a flurry of light, it grew larger and larger, the surrounding space turning into a blur that set off a dizzy bout in her. Corset swayed and caught herself in time, landing safely on the bottom of the cube. She had to keep her eyes shut to try and starve off the sudden nausea the movement had brought on. What was going on?

"Whoa!" Eighteen's horrified voice wasn't exactly filling her with confidence.

"Has the world stopped spinning?" Corset asked through clenched teeth.

"No, not yet!" Videl was close to her, very close in fact as her voice was cutting through the howls of the monster's cries. Corset could just about hear Pan crying; the two of them must have also taken to the floor. Cautiously she opened one eye, clamping it shut immediately as the wave of nausea grew strength. It was a few more seconds before someone else's words were load enough for her to hear.

"The stars and the galaxies…!" It was Krillin, and as he spoke, the dragon's roars died down. They were left with an eerily quiet peace. Cautiously she tried opening one eye again, the other practically ripped open when she realised that Krillin's sentence had a lot of weight going for it. Their surroundings weren't too dissimilar from an auditorium. It was as if the galaxies had shrunk in size and were now floating lazily around them. The cube seemed to have vanished, leaving them in some kind of colourful, space-themed void. Before them, a bright circle of light seemed to be sending out waves of bright light, albeit it didn't seem to be affecting them.

"Where are we?" Bulma asked concerned.

"Probably in the body of this Super Shenron," Piccolo answered.

"It ate us?" Oolong gasped in horror. "Dammit, if this is a dream then please, someone wake me up!"

"You mean we'll come out as dragon poop?" Goku asked.

"Watch it!" Chichi snapped. "Don't encourage the kids with your potty mouth!"

"There's no need to worry," Whis cut through their conversation. "We're just passing through the initial gate."

Slowly they did seem to be heading towards this light before them. As they drew closer, an image of a green dragon presented itself in the centre of this light, with red eyes and a look not too dissimilar to their Shenron. Passing through its mouth, they entered a far darker world than the one before, with the odd dash of a greyish-blue passing them by. This place made Corset feel cold, even forcing her to shiver. Was it the dark or was it because the darkest reaches of space were also the coldest, something she knew to be true? Was her mind reacting to this knowledge and unintentionally causing her to react as if it truly were the outer reaches of space?

Suddenly the area before them was filled in with the shape of the dragon from before, golden body bringing a sense of warmth to this place. Its head craned down towards them, its red eyes intensely studying them. Slowly its mouth opened.

"Is this Super Shenron's real body?" Bulma asked.

"Not quite," Whis explained, "This is the core of his presence."

The dragon began to speak in a language Corset didn't recognise and could only assume was the language of the gods. _'How are we supposed to know what to say?'_

"He wants to know our wish," Yamcha frowned. "But how are we going to be able to talk to it if it doesn't understand our language?"

"Whis is able to speak the language of the gods," Birus answered. "He will translate for us. It'll have to be a good wish."

"You mean you haven't thought of one yet?" Bulma glared.

"Shut up!" Birus grumbled. "I'm thinking of one now!" He took a moment to pause before an uncomfortable smile emerged upon his face. Annoyingly, his wish was spoken in the language of gods, leaving everyone else in the dark about what he was asking for. Corset couldn't help but feel anxious considering this was their Hakaishin making a wish on these Dragonballs.

"Are you sure about this?" Whis asked.

"Yep," Birus nodded.

"Alright then," Whis smiled, "Let's ask for it." He turned his eyes back to the gigantic dragon before them and repeated what Birus has spoken. The dragon's eyes flashed in confirmation, the same way Shenron's did when he'd granted a wish. With that, the dragon started to shrink before their eyes, vanishing into nothing. Their world started to change again, Corset deliberately squatting down to the bottom of their cube and keeping her eyes shut.

"We're here already?" Soba's surprised cry brought her eyes open. Indeed there was no spinning; they were right back where they'd been before, only now there were no planets or Dragonballs floating beside them.

"What did you wish for?" Bulma asked, still sounding untrusting.

Birus seemed calm, even with his arms folded. "It's a secret."

"That's not fair, you're being selfish," Goku frowned. "You shouldn't keep us in the dark about this."

"I wished for a bed that is more comfortable than my current bed," Birus answered.

"You've got to be kidding!" Bulma cried. "Idiot – even I could have given you a more comfortable bed! You didn't have to ask Super Shenron for that! What a waste!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Birus barked. "I'll destroy you for real!"

* * *

Whis returned to Birus' home planet first in order to drop Monaka off. Naturally Goku was hot on his heels asking for a match, something which Birus put an immediate stop to. Quickly Whis then announced they were departing for Earth, leaving Goku's need to fight Monaka as a pipe dream. Soon they were back on terra firma, bidding Whis farewell.

"A martial arts tournament with every universe involved is going to be a huge event," Piccolo was musing.

"And fun too," Goku added.

"Perhaps we'll take another vacation to see it?" Jaco smiled, his tentacle-clad boss agreeing.

' _Please don't be anytime soon,'_ Corset kept her fingers crossed.

"Wait until Daddy gets home from work, we'll have plenty to tell him, won't we Pan?" Videl was cooing at her daughter, who was smiling back at her mother.

* * *

"Why?" Trunks asked bemused. "Why are you holding a party?"

"Isn't it obvious?" His mother asked incredulously. "It's to celebrate our Universe keeping our planet. Besides, this way I can try and keep Birus and Whis on our side by feeding them more delicious Earthling food."

"You're shameless sometimes," Trunks muttered.

"I don't want to hear that kind of talk coming from you," Bulma scowled. "We're lucky Birus hasn't killed us yet, in all honesty. Goku and Vegeta still aren't strong enough to beat him if he goes off on one, so I want to make sure that for now, our planet is safe. The way to do that is to keep on getting them to try our cuisine." Her eyes turned from her youngest to her oldest child. "How about it? Are you up for it?"

Corset scrunched her nose up. "I'm honestly not up for anything right now. I'm shattered."

"Yeah well you will be until the baby comes," Bulma smiled empathetically.

"Liar," Corset folded her arms. "What about the part after the baby is born? She'll be crying at stupid hours of the night and I'll have to force Soba awake to help me and then my entire living-time will be dedicated to meeting her every need."

"Well, make sure it's not just her needs you're meeting," Bulma frowned.

"Eugh!" Trunks grimaced in horror. "That's more than I wanted to know!"

"What?" Bulma asked, then quickly cottoned on and glared. "I was talking about her looking after herself!"

"Anyway," Corset butted in swiftly, "I was kinda assuming that you'd be able to help out every once in a while?"

"I work," Bulma responded, earning a frown from her daughter. "What? I worked when you were both tiny."

"You worked because you had Nana to help," Corset growled.

"So ask her," Came Bulma's reply, further causing her daughter's brow to fall. "My mother wasn't working, which allowed me the time to continue working – under the same roof – whilst your grandmother looked after you. We all lived here in this one building where I work and live. I'm still very much a working woman, unlike my mother. So as much as I know you'd appreciate it, I'm gonna have to say no. I have a company to run."

"Thanks so much for your help," Corset sarcastically snorted, getting off her seat and storming out of the room. Well that hadn't gone down the way she'd expected it to. She'd assumed her mother would have been more than willing to help her out in her time of need, looking after an infant that wasn't capable of living independently by a long stretch. It sounded so selfish to her.

* * *

"Why are you surprised?" Soba raised an eyebrow. "I mean, sure it's a pain but was you really expecting her to stop doing her job?"

"I don't know," Corset rounded on him, growing increasingly irritated. "I mean I didn't expect her to be there twenty-four-seven but it would be nice to know she'd provide us with a little bit of support! It's not like you're going to be around much to help."

"I have a few weeks paternity leave," Soba frowned. "You think I'm gonna spend that time avoiding you or something?"

"No but you're not gonna be there for long," Corset responded. "You'll quickly be back to work because people will expect you to be there and I'll just be stuck at home."

Soba's frown turned into a glower. "…'Stuck' at home?"

"Oh come on, you know as well as I do that I'm not going to be able to do anything but stay at home and look after our kid if I'm the only one," Corset snapped. "If I had other people actually offering some support then it wouldn't seem like such a-"

"Like such a what?" Soba interrupted, temper flaring.

Corsrt bit her lip and exhaled loudly through her nostrils. "… All I'm saying is that it's gonna be consuming all of my time – not that I'm not prepared for that… It's just such a big change. Plus my body is going to need time to recover so I'm gonna be pretty knackered when you finally get home every night. It's a big change."

"You're free to move about, just take her with you," Soba's temper still hadn't died down. He was clearly hurt by whatever he thought she was suggesting. This seemed to happen a lot these days from what Corset could remember. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to try and work things out between them.

The conversation was quickly interrupted as Goku suddenly materialised out of thin air, startling the two of them.

"Goku? What are you doing here?" Corset asked baffled.

Goku looked just as perplexed as the two of them. "… This isn't Kaio's house either… how odd. What's going on?" He glanced around and seemed now to only notice Corset and Soba. "Sorry for dropping in on you like this, I'm trying to get to Kaio's house. My body's been acting all weird the last couple of days."

"You're a little far off the mark then," Corset dryly responded. "How is it possible you can't lock onto his ki?"

"Who knows," Goku shrugged his shoulders, placing his two fingers to his head. "I'll try this again…" And in the blink of an eye, he was gone.


End file.
